The Choices in Life
by WinterSky101's Old Stuff
Summary: Max and Fang get married and go on their honeymoon. Something happens, and the honeymoon is cut short. Max is keeping secrets from Fang, Iggy and Nudge seem to be together, and Jeb, who is now married to Dr M, has disappeared. Post-Max, AU. Discontinued.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I am not James Patterson; I am the wrong gender. Therefore, I don't own Maximum Ride. I do love it, though!**

**A/N (****_READ THIS!)_****: This story was not just written for a bit of Max/Fang fluff, although it is Fax. A lot of it. ANYWAY, back to my main point. There is a reason behind it that has to do with Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Catherine Hardwicke, and the Maximum Ride movie.**

**Catherine Hardwicke wants to direct the Maximum Ride movie, and make Rob and Kristen play Max and Fang, which would suck. I'm not saying that they are bad actors, but Maximum Ride is not Twilight. They are totally different books, but if we allow this to happen, they will be compared to each other forever. Rob will not be a good Fang, nor will Kristen be a good Max. We cannot allow this. It is not good!**

**On St. Fang of Boredom's profile, there is a link to a petition. Please sign it, and let your voice be heard. This cannot, will not, be done. It cannot be allowed.**

**Sorry about the patriotism, I just feel very strongly about this. So please do it, and review my story for good measure.**

**Max's POV**

There could have been battles raging around us. The flock could have been screaming. The hotel could have been on fire.

I wouldn't have noticed. All that was in my world right now was the olive-skinned, dark-haired man in front of me. Fang. With his dark eyes that lost me in their depths every time I looked into them.

"Max?" his voice asked, and I realized I hadn't yet answered the question, the one that was the reason that he was on one knee, with a small box in his hand.

"Max, I understand if you don't want to, I mean, we're only 19, so if you felt uncomfortable about it…"

I cut him off with one word. "Fang." He stopped talking, and watched for my answer. "I love you." His face fell slightly; he was obviously expecting a rejection. "How could I ever say no?"

His expression changed from one of sadness to one of pure joy as he leaned over and kissed me. I was glad I had been sitting on the end of my hotel bed and not standing, for the force Fang exerted would have knocked me to the ground. And while we kissed, he slipped the ring he had bought on the fourth finger of my left hand.

I had only one thought.

"Fang is mine."

**Please review and sign the petition! If you disobeyed my orders and didn't read the A/N up at the top, please read it now!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey, peeps! Yeah, you probably thought this was a oneshot, right? And it was. But Sonya Rivers PMed me and asked me to write Max and Fang's wedding. After a few months, I finally decided, "You know what? I will write the wedding. Then the story will be over."**

**Yeah right. I'm now in the midst of writing chapter 8. I will be creating a new title for this story later. Don't ask me what it will be, because I have no idea.**

**Disclaimer (I hate this thing): Me no own.**

**Max's POV**

Ohmigod. I cannot do this. I can't do this. I can't, I can't, I can't...

"Max! Quit it!"

"Sorry, Angel."

But what if Fang says "I don't" instead of "I do?" What if I trip over my dress? What if we get attacked? What if Gazzy drops the ring?

"MAX!"

"Sorry, Angel."

"What's going on?" Ella asked.

"Someone," said Angel, throwing me a look, "is worried about her wedding."

"Max, your wedding will be fine. Don't worry, silly!" Ella chided.

"I know," I replied. And I did. But I was still worried.

Then Nudge walked in. She was holding my wedding dress, which was creamy white with a long train. It had embroidery on the arms and chest. It looked old-fashioned, and it was. This was the dress Mom had gotten married in when she married Jeb three years ago and her mom had gotten married in too. The dress had been passed down through the generations, and now it was my turn to get married in it.

Mom slipped the dress over my head. She got to work on the buttons in the back while Nudge did my hair, Angel did my make-up, and Ella got my veil, shoes, and bouquet.

When Mom finished buttoning my dress, she and Ella put on my accessories: my veil, my shoes, and a locket Fang had given me a long time ago. Inside the locket was a picture of the flock, and a picture of Fang. I wore the locket almost every day.

When Angel and Nudge finally deemed me perfect, the wedding was about to begin. I got in my place behind Angel, the flower girl, Nudge, my bridesmaid, and Ella, my maid of honor. Fang was standing at the altar, with Iggy as his best man. Gazzy went out as the ring bearer. Then Angel went out, then Nudge, then Ella, then it was my turn. Jeb appeared next to me and gripped my arm. Together, we walked down the aisle.

Fang's eyes widened when he saw me. I was bursting to use my new power of teleportation to get over to the altar more quickly, but Jeb squeezed my arm, reminding me that I needed to walk with him. I consented to walking, but quickened my pace.

When I got to Fang, he grabbed my hand, and I grabbed his. The minister started to talk, but all I heard was "Dearly beloved," before I was lost in Fang's eyes. Fang smiled, and made a small motion with his hand. I then felt Angel in my head, and realized she was connecting my mind to Fang's, using a new power.

_Thanks, baby,_ I thought.

_No problem, Max! I'll tell you when it's time to do your vows._

_Max, I love you so much._ Fang's voice was resonating in my head._ I will never leave you, I will always be by your side when you need me. I will never make you do anything you don't want to do._

_Thank you, Fang,_ I replied with my thoughts. "I will do the same for you."

_Max, Fang, it's time for the vows!_ Angel's thoughts were projected in both of our heads.

_Thanks, Angel._

"Do you, Maximum Ride, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do."

"Do you, Fang Martinez** (A.N.-You'll find this out later, chapter 7 I think, but Dr. M and Jeb adopted the flock. Dr. Martinez kept her maiden name, and the flock took that name instead of Batchelder. Hence the name "Fang Martinez.")**, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

"I do."

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Fang leaned over me, and gently pressed his lips against mine. I responded with a more passionate kiss. Ella pulled on a ribbon, and rose petals fell from the ceiling. Fang broke the kiss, and we both walked back down the aisle, hand in hand, to the car we were taking to the reception. Fang climbed in the driver's seat, and I went in the passenger's seat. I passed Fang the keys, and he started the car. We drove off together to Mom's new house Jeb bought her. The entire flock stayed there, although Fang and I weren't going to after we got back from our honeymoon. The reception was going to be there, since the house was gigantic.

When we got out, Fang scooped me into his arms and walked across the threshold of the house. I giggled, and asked, "Isn't that supposed to be just for our own house?"

Fang smiled. "I want to do this job properly, which means I'll be extremely thorough."

I smiled too. Fang had lost his emotional mask somewhat since our engagement, but a full smile was still a rare thing. They still filled me with joy whenever I saw them.

"Come on, darling," Fang said as he pulled me into the house. I followed, and we stood in the living room, waiting for our guests to come.

We didn't have to wait long. In less than a minute, Angel came in, along with Gazzy. Nudge and Iggy came in next, then Ella, Mom, and Jeb. The rest of the guests soon filed in after that.

Iggy disappeared into the kitchen, probably to finish the wedding cake. Guests got in line to congratulate Fang and I on our marriage. Then it was time for the dancing.

Fang and I got in the middle of the floor, and began to dance to the waltz that Ella had chosen. Fang and I had been practicing dancing, helped by Mom and Jeb, and could now dance pretty well. Other couples joined us on the floor, and we all swirled and dipped in harmony.

After about an hour, Angel grabbed my arm and proceeded to pull me upstairs. My feet felt like they were about to fall off from all of the dancing. I knew that Angel was going to get me into my going-away dress. I hadn't seen it yet, and didn't know what to expect.

The dress actually wasn't that bad. It was a light blue, with slits in the back for my wings. The slits were covered by a matching jacket when I didn't need to fly. As a finishing touch, Angel slipped dark blue flats on my feet. I went back downstairs to get ready to leave the party.

Fang was dancing with Nudge when I got back to the dance floor. I tapped his shoulder, and he let go of Nudge so he could kiss me.

When Fang finally broke the kiss, he grabbed my hand and pulled me outside. The guests followed, and stared when Fang snapped out his wings. I took of my jacket and did the same. With my hand in Fang's, the two of us jumped up and flew towards our honeymoon, the spot of which was still unknown to me.

**Do you like? The updates will hopefully be quick, but don't hold me to that. If I get no reviews on this chapter, I will not update. Understand? So hit the little green button and review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: No own. ;(**

**Max's POV (Just assume it is from now on, unless I say otherwise)**

I woke up with a start, sitting up in the bed. I looked around me, trying to figure out where I was. I remembered flying with Fang to an airport, and getting on a plane. I must have fallen asleep in the middle of the ride, because I didn't remember getting off.

Lying next to me was Fang, still asleep. I leaned over and woke him with a kiss.

"Fang, where are we?"

"We're in a little cabin in the Pyrenees Mountains." I gave Fang a blank look. "South of France and north of Spain," he elaborated. Oh, now I know where we are. I remember these mountains from when I took Ari, Angel, Total, and Nudge to Paris years ago.

"You hungry?" I asked, moving towards the kitchen.

"Not that hungry!" Fang exclaimed hurriedly. I glared at him, but didn't press the case. I did have horrible cooking skills, but I was quite capable of pouring milk into a bowl with cereal.

"Hungry for something else?" I asked seductively.

Fang smiled. "Let's not do that until tonight," he replied.

I smiled back. "I can't wait."

After a short pause, I asked, "So, what is there to do in the Pyrenees?"

Fang pulled out a map. "Well, a tiny country named Andorra is nearby, and there's also Madrid about 300 miles away and Paris about 400 miles away. If we share your super-speed using my new power, it should only take us a few minutes to get to either." For those of you that are wondering, Fang's new power is the ability to share other's powers.

"Let's go to Madrid," I decided. I had never been to Madrid before.

"Your wish is my command," Fang replied teasingly. I grabbed Fang's hand, and felt my power of super-speed spreading through Fang as well as me. Then we went outside and flew to Madrid.

After a few hours in Spain, I was ready to go back to the cottage. I tapped Fang's shoulder.

"I'm ready to leave."

"Wait here for one moment. I've got to get something first, but then we'll go," Fang replied. I complied and waited while Fang ducked into a store nearby.

As I was waiting, I saw a man staring at me. He came over and stood next to me.

"Hola."

"I don't speak Spanish," I replied.

"Oh, are you American?" he asked in halting English.

"Yes," I replied.

"How old are you?" he asked casually. Far too casually, actually.

"Nineteen," I replied.

"I'm nineteen, too!" the guy replied. I wished he would leave me alone.

At that moment, Fang stepped out of the store. He immediately came over to me and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Hey, honey," he said, leaning down to kiss me. I kissed him back. Then he noticed the guy looking at me. "Is this guy annoying you, darling?"

"Well, yes, Fang. A bit. But I think he just thought I was pretty, and didn't realize I was married."

When I said that, the guy turned red, and walked off with his face the color of a tomato. I laughed. Fang was looking at the guy like he wanted to kill him.

"Fang," I warned.

Fang looked down at me, and sighed. "Want to go back to the cabin now?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. Is it tonight yet?"

"Sure, Max."

Smiling, I grabbed Fang's hand, and we again shared my super-speed. Then we flew off to our cabin.

"Hey, Fang?" I asked in mid-flight.

"Yeah?"

"What were you buying there?"

"You'll see," he replied mysteriously. I looked at him pleadingly, and he smirked. "When we get back to the cabin, I'll show you."

I decided that was the best I would get, so I let it go. But when we got back to the cabin, I immediately demanded to see whatever Fang bought. He smiled, and held out the bag. I looked inside, and saw a beautiful bracelet with turquoise stones on the outside.

"It's beautiful, Fang," I breathed. Fang smiled again. I slipped the bracelet on my arm.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Now, since it's tonight..." I started seductively. Fang got caught up in my mood instantly, and pulled me into the bed. I giggled, and Fang turned out the light with a look of longing on his face.

"Let's start."


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR.**

I woke up curled next to Fang. As I sat up, the events of last night hit me. I got up, and sat on the end of the bed. Fang was still asleep. I walked over to him and stroked his face. I leaned down to kiss him lightly, and he woke up.

"Did you have fun last night?" Fang asked.

"Yes. You?"

"Most definitely."

I smiled. "Should we check in on the flock?"

"Sure, let's call them,"

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Iggy's cell phone number. I waited as it rang, then heard Iggy say, "Hello?"

"Hey, Ig. How's it going?"

"Hey, Max! It's going great here; how is it with you and Fang?"

"Great. We went to Madrid yesterday, and it was really fun."

"Have you had fun at night too?" asked Iggy innocently.

"IGGY!" I screamed. Instantly, Fang was at my side, but I pushed him away. "How many times do I have to tell you this? NO JOKES LIKE THAT!"

"Whoa, Max. Calm down." I could almost hear his smirk. "Do you want to talk with Angel? She's right here."

"Sure, Ig. Wait, was she there the entire time?"

"Yup."

"Okay, Iggy. Give Angel the phone before you say something else, and I go back to the USA to kill you."

"Hey, Max!" Angel said. Smart of Iggy to give Angel the phone before saying anything.

"Hey, Angel. Did you hear that whole conversation?"

"Yeah, but I wish I hadn't."

I was going to kill Iggy. "Did you understand it?" I asked. I crossed my fingers, hoping for a no.

"Yeah. It was disgusting. Plus, I had to read Iggy's thoughts the whole time."

My poor baby. "Sorry about that. I shouldn't have called Iggy." Who I was going to kill.

"It's okay, Max. It wasn't your fault. It was Iggy's." Yes, it was. More reason to kill Iggy.

Fang tapped me and made a motion with his hand like he was holding the phone. "Angel, I think Fang wants to talk with you."

"Okay,"

I handed the phone to Fang, who immediately asked, "What did Iggy say?"

After a pause, Fang's eyes widened and he muttered, "I will KILL Iggy."

There was another pause, then "Yeah...Okay. Bye, Angel."

Fang was visibly shaking with anger as he hung up the phone. I touched his arm, worried, and he hissed, "Iggy is _dead_. Saying that to you, while Angel was there! That was crossing the line."

"Fang? I agree, that was crossing the line, but it was just a joke."

"I don't care. I will kill Iggy when we get home."

"When is that?" I asked.

"Five more days," he said. "Five more days for Iggy to live."

I racked my brains for something to get Fang's mind off things. "Um...hungry?"

It worked. Fang grinned, although his eyes were still mad. "Not for your cooking. Lets go out to eat in Andorra."

"Okay!" I replied, glad Fang wasn't thinking about killing Iggy anymore.

I grabbed Fang's hand, and we flew over to Andorra, which was about 40 miles away. With my super-speed, we were there in less that a minute.

"This way," Fang pointed. "There's a little café here that has bagels and such."

We walked over to the café, and I picked out a table outside while Fang went in and got some food. After a minute, Fang walked in with two bagels, four blueberry muffins, and two drinks. I grabbed a bagel and ate it quickly. Fang stared at me, and began to eat his one more slowly. I also grabbed two of the blueberry muffins. I ate the first in less than a minute, and the second right after it. Fang was staring openly now, his bagel forgotten.

"Are you feeling alright, Max?"

"Yeah, I'm just really hungry."

Fang looked at me quizzically. "Max, you just ate a bagel and two muffins in less than three minutes. And you're still hungry?"

"Yeah..." I replied. That was weird. We birdkids did have to eat a lot, but a bagel and two muffins in less than three minutes, and still feeling hungry after, was new. I had never eaten that much in so little time before. But I was still hungry, so I went in the café and got two more bagels and a chocolate muffin.

I went back out to the table, and saw Fang thinking about something deeply, his bagel still forgotten.

"Fang?" I asked, waving my hand in front of his face.

Fang jumped. "Oh, Max. Hey."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing important," replied Fang nonchalantly. I gave him a look, then started on my bagel. Before I knew it, the two new bagels and the chocolate muffin were gone. Fang had just finished his bagel and his first blueberry muffin, and was starting on his second. I still felt a little hungry, but didn't mention it. It was just too weird.

Fang finished his second blueberry muffin, and got up. "Let's go back to the cabin."

I agreed, and grabbed Fang's hand. He pulled me up, and we flew back to the middle of the mountains.

When in the cottage, Fang leaned down to kiss me. I kissed him back, the oddness of breakfast forgotten when his lips pressed against mine. When he stopped the kiss, he pulled me over to the living room. We sat down on the couch together, and I snuggled up against my husband.

After a moment, I remembered something I wanted to ask Fang. "So, what were you thinking of back there, at the café?"

"I told you, nothing. Now, do you want to go to France, or back to Spain again?" Was it just me, or did he seem to be avoiding the question?

"Let's go to France this time," I decided.

"Sure, Max."

Fang grabbed my hand, and we flew towards France, my mind filled with confusing thoughts.


	5. Chapter 4

**To people who celebrate Christmas: MERRY CHRISTMAS! To those of you who don't, be happy I'm posting!**

**I know I ****_just_**** posted chapter 3, but it's Christmas and I'm feeling benevolent. So here you go!**

**First, I have a note for a anonymous reviewer named Rian. Max can't teleport to Spain, Andorra, and France because they're too far away. She has a limit of the distance she can teleport.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR. I'm a girl.**

I grabbed Fang's hand. We had spent a few hours in Paris, but now we were leaving. At lunch, I had eaten like a starving person again, which was just as confusing this time as last.

When Fang and I flew, I felt different. My wings felt more labored, and I felt like I was heavier than normal. I didn't mention this to Fang. He was worried enough about the eating thing, I didn't want to put another thing on his mind.

When we got back to the cabin, Fang began to pull me onto the bed. I was almost there when it hit me.

I suddenly remembered Mom's voice. "Max, I know that you and Fang are very close. But, if you have sex, remember to use protection unless you're ready to have a baby." A signal of pregnancy is eating a lot. And I felt heavier...and in France, I had thrown up in a bathroom. Furthermore, all of a sudden, I thought I felt something kick me in the stomach. From the inside.

"Oh!" I gasped. Fang looked at me with concern. I pulled out my cell phone and called Mom.

"Mom?" I asked as soon as she picked up.

"What, Max?" she asked, worried by my tone.

"How long does it normally take for signs of pregnancy to show?"

"A month or two, normally. Why?"

"I think I might be pregnant." Fang stared at me with incredulous eyes, but I ignored him. I needed the information from Mom now and couldn't be distracted by my husband.

There was silence on the other end, then Mom asked, "Why?"

"I'm really hungry all the time. And I feel heavier, and I was throwing up earlier. And I think something inside me just kicked."

"When did you have sex?"

"Last night was the first time."

There was another silence, then "Come back to the US so I can examine you. And Max?"

"Yes?"

"I think you might be right."

Mom hung up, but I stayed with the cell phone to my ear for a long moment. When I finally put it away, Fang was staring at me.

"Max?"

"Mom thinks I might be pregnant. When is the soonest flight we can take back home?"

"I'll call and ask the airlines."

Fang went into another room and called the airlines. I sat in the bed, and stroked my stomach lightly. There was, now that I noticed it, a slight bump. I stroked it again, and was lost in thought when Fang came back in the room.

"Max, there's a flight in an hour that we can get on. Come on, let's pack."

Fang grabbed my hand, and pulled me over to the closet. Most of the clothes hadn't been taken out of the suitcase yet, but there were some on hangers or strewed on the floor. I picked them all up, and put them in the suitcase. Fang came in a minute later with all the toiletries from the bathroom.

I had a sudden thought. "Fang, should we call whoever we're renting this cabin from to tell them we're leaving?"

"We're not renting this cabin. It belongs to Jeb. He said I could borrow it. Now come on, we need to go or we'll miss our plane."

Startled by this new piece of information, I allowed Fang to pull me outside so we could fly to the airport. He supported me as we flew, since my wings felt labored again. When we landed, he pulled me along to the plane. We got on and ran over to two seats that were right next to each other.

"How are you feeling, Max?"

"I'm fine, Fang," I replied.

"Are you sure? No nausea, no cramps..."

"I'm fine!" I snapped. Fang stared. "I'm sorry. I just am surprised and slightly scared by what's happening. I didn't mean to snap."

"It's okay, honey. I don't mind."

I did, but I let the matter drop.

When the plane finally took off, I leaned back in my seat and tried to sleep. I must have succeeded, because the next thing I knew was Fang shaking me softly, murmuring, "Max, the plane's about to land. You have to wake up, darling."

I woke up just in time to hear the captain say, "Landing in a few minutes. Make sure your seatbelts are on tightly, ladies and gentlemen."

When we landed, I stumbled off the plane in a lethargic stupor. I felt dead on my feet. I supposed I must have looked it, too, since Fang sighed, and started to support me and help me walk. Together, we made our way off of the plane and through the luggage claim. Fang picked up our luggage, leaving me to walk by myself.

Mom was waiting outside the airport. When I pushed my way through the door, she ran towards me, then stopped and looked at my stomach in shock. I looked down too, and what I saw amazed me. My stomach, which had a small bulge earlier, now had a larger, more noticeable bulge. The pregnancy was still moving fast, which provoked a scary thought. If the pregnancy went this fast, would the baby's life fly by as well?


	6. Chapter 5

**Alright, I know that everyone is saying "JUST LIKE TWILIGHT!" But starting this chapter, there are some subtle differences. And later on, there are more differences that you will notice if you are observant. And once you get to chapter 14, it would be really pathetic if you didn't notice.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but the unborn baby!**

I got out of the car at Mom's house. Ella was waiting at the door. She stared in shock when she saw my slightly bulging stomach.

After we got inside, Mom helped me into her office, which had a little cot that I gratefully lay down on. She pulled out the ultrasound machine that she had rented from the hospital she worked at, now that she had become a doctor instead of a vet. After a moment, Mom started the ultrasound process. It was done in a few minutes.

"Go out to the living room. I think the others want to talk with you," Mom said distractedly. She was busy looking at the ultrasound pictures. I slipped out, and found that Mom was right. In the living room was Fang, Angel, Nudge, Ella, Gazzy, and Iggy. I glared at Iggy; I hadn't forgotten our phone conversation earlier. Of course, he didn't see it, but it made me feel better to glare at him.

"Max, are you okay?" Ella asked.

"Yeah, Ella," I answered. "But I think I'm pregnant. Which is scientifically impossible, since I only had sex once, and that was last night." Okay, that was a lie. But I wished it was true. And _no one_ could know what Mr. Chu did to me.

Iggy smirked. "I knew you were having fun at night, too." I reached over and slapped him on the upside of his head. "Hey, don't hit the blind guy!" he protested, laughing. I wanted to slap him again, but I restrained myself.

"Max, will the baby have wings?" asked Angel.

"I'm not sure, Angel. I hope so."

Mom came in at that moment. "Max, Fang, can you come with me?"

Fang and I both followed Mom, and she led us into her back into her office. She closed the door behind her.

"Max, I don't know how, but you're pregnant." I knew it. It was the same thing that had happened all those years ago. "The pregnancy is progressing at an alarming rate. I don't know why, but my guess is it has something to do with your bird DNA. I can find no other explanation for this."

"Thanks, Mom. Now, can I sleep somewhere?"

"Sure, Max. Come on, lets go up to your bedroom."

I went upstairs, and dropped on my bed. I was asleep before I even hit it.

When I woke up, it was because of the smell of eggs. I got up, and was unbalanced for a moment. When I looked down at my stomach, I saw that the bulge was much bigger.

I followed my nose downstairs to the kitchen, where I found Iggy cooking breakfast.

"Hey, Ig. What're you making?"

"Eggs and sausage," Iggy replied. "Want some?"

"Yes, please!" I replied eagerly. Smirking, Iggy grabbed a plate and dumped some eggs and some sausage on it. He handed it to me, still smirking. I glared at him, then said, "I'm glaring at you, Iggy."

Smirk growing wider, Iggy asked, "So, how's the little guy?"

I glared again, and said, "I don't know. I'm definitely pregnant, according to Mom, and the baby's growing fast. I don't know how it is now. What I do know is I'm really hungry, and my stomach is much bigger."

"Can I feel it?" Iggy asked. Normally, this would be an odd request, but since Iggy was blind, it was the only way he could know what was going on with my pregnancy.

"Okay," I replied. Iggy put his pale hands on my midsection. With a soft touch, he felt my bloated stomach.

"Wow," he finally said.

"Wow, indeed," I agreed. "Pretty weird, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I think I feel...flapping in there. Or something like that."

"Flapping, like...wings?" I asked.

"Yeah, maybe. I'm not sure."

I took a bite of the sausage, which was great. But after one bite, I felt bile rising in my throat. I clamped a hand to my mouth and ran out of the kitchen to the bathroom. I flung open the door, leaned over the toilet, and puked.

Iggy came in soon after me. He must have used his new power to figure out where I was. Iggy could now feel the traces people left when they moved. He called it "reading the traces of their aura," but he was just being ridiculous as usual.

"Max?" he asked, worried. Wow. Iggy was actually being serious, for once.

"I'm fine, Ig. It's just the baby."

"Should I wake up Fang?"

"No need. I'm fine now." And I was. The wave of nausea was gone as quickly as it had come. It was annoying, but quick.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yes!" I snapped, exasperated.

"Whoa. Just trying to help," replied Iggy, his hands facing me with the palms out.

I immediately felt remorse. "I'm sorry, Iggy. I didn't mean to snap. I think a short temper has something to do with pregnancy, because I've been really short-tempered with everyone since I got pregnant."

"Is that why you yelled at me on the phone?" he asked. Did his voice sound hopeful, or was that just me?

"No," I replied. "I yelled at you on the phone because you were being a complete jerk."

Iggy smiled. "Fair enough." He extended a hand to help me up. I accepted, and he pulled me off the bathroom floor. "Want to finish your food?"

I smiled back. "Sure, Ig. That sausage is really good."

Iggy smiled more. "I'm glad you like it."

Then Fang came in the bathroom with a murderous expression on his face.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: No own**

I sat down heavily at the kitchen table. Fang was watching me between his death glares at Iggy.

"What were you doing in there?" Fang demanded.

"Relax, Fang," said Iggy. "Max came downstairs, I made her breakfast, then she went off to the bathroom to throw up. I went in to see if she was okay. I helped her up, and she asked for more breakfast. Nothing else happened."

Fang was still breathing heavily, but he was calmer now. "Sorry, Ig. Sorry, Max. I was just worried about you, honey, and when I saw you two together, I freaked. Sorry."

I smiled. "It's okay," I replied. Then I kissed Fang.

"Eww. Get a room," piped up a voice. Angel. Blushing, I pulled away from Fang quickly and saw Angel in the doorway. Fang just grinned and kissed me again.

"Want breakfast, Angel?" asked Iggy.

"Sure," Angel replied. "Eggs and sausage?"

"Yup."

Iggy got Angel breakfast, and I finished eating mine. Mom came in a few minutes later, and stared openly at my stomach.

"Max, get in my office now. We're doing another ultrasound."

I followed Mom to her office, and she set up the ultrasound machine while I lay on the cot again. This time it was just as fast as last time. Mom looked at the pictures, then said in a low voice, "Go get Fang."

Puzzled, I went downstairs to get my husband. He was eating breakfast, but came upstairs when I told him Mom had the results from another ultrasound. When we got upstairs, Mom was sitting in her office chair, staring at the pictures in disbelief.

"Max, look at this," said Mom, shoving a picture at me. I didn't understand any of it.

"Um, what am I supposed to be seeing here?" I asked.

Mom sighed, then pointed at a spot on the picture and said, "This is the baby. You and Fang had sex two days ago, and yet this baby is halfway developed." Now I understood. The baby was progressing fast. But we already knew this.

"Well, that's weird, but didn't we already know that?" I pointed out.

"Max," Mom replied, "this baby was just over a quarter developed last night when I took the first ultrasound."

Oh. Now I understood. The baby was progressing faster than it had been before.

"If this rate of increase stays the same, you may be giving birth any day now."

Wow. Giving birth that soon?

"Mom," I asked. "Do you have any idea how this will affect the baby's lifetime? If it progressed so fast in my stomach, then how fast will it progress once it is born?"

"I don't know, Max," Mom replied. "I simply don't know."

And on that pleasant and cheerful note, we went back downstairs to finish breakfast. Iggy was making eggs and sausage for Ella, who had just woken up.

"Hey, Max," she muttered sleepily. Then she blinked, and her eyes widened. "Wow!" Her gaze was focused on my stomach.

I smiled. "I know. Weird, huh?"

Ella nodded faintly. "I wouldn't exactly call that weird. It's not a strong enough word."

I grinned. "I agree."

"Max?" asked a sleepy Gazzy, who had also just woken up.

"What?" I replied.

"Is the baby a boy or a girl?"

"Um..." I shot a look at Mom, hoping for a lifeline. Sadly, she did not give me one. "I don't know, Gazzy. I kind of want it to be a surprise."

Gazzy looked satisfied with that explanation, and went back to his breakfast. I stepped out of the kitchen; you do not want to be in the same room as Gazzy when he's eating a meal if you can help it. He did have a new power, but, sadly, it was not the ability to control his...shall we say...outbursts. Instead, it was the power to talk with animals. Oh, well. It was useful.

Fang seemed to agree with me on not being with Gazzy during breakfast, since he left the kitchen a few seconds later.

"So," he asked in a teasing tone. "You want the gender of the baby to be a surprise? I didn't know that."

I shot Fang a look. "No, I don't. I only said that because Mom hasn't told me what gender the baby is yet, so I couldn't answer that."

Fang smiled. "That's what I thought. But really, I would like to know. Should we ask Mom?" I couldn't help but feel happy when Fang said that. The entire flock had been adopted by Mom and Jeb, who I still refused to call Dad, about two years ago. Everyone except Fang had called them Mom and Jeb pretty much since they were adopted. But Fang hadn't. Now, though, he seemed to be happy accepting the fact that he now had a mom.

"Sure," I replied. I smiled at Fang, then felt the nausea rising again. I put my hand to my mouth, ran to the bathroom, and puked in the toilet. Fang followed me in the bathroom with a worried expression on his face.

"Max?" he asked.

"I'm okay, Fang," I replied. I even managed a smile. "Now you can see that you really didn't miss anything when I threw up earlier and Iggy was there." Fang smiled too, but the smile didn't seem to meet his eyes. Oh, well. I must be imagining things. Maybe that was another sign of pregnancy. "Come on, let's figure out what gender this little guy is."

Still smiling a fake-looking smile, Fang leaned down and grabbed my hand. He pulled me up off the bathroom floor, and we braved the kitchen, and the Gasman, to ask my mom what gender the baby I was having was.


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride! I admit it!**

**So no suing, please!**

I went into Mom's office for the third time that day. Mom grabbed one of the latest ultrasound pictures. She studied it for a moment before telling us the gender.

"Max, Fang, you're having a girl." A girl. I was going to have a daughter. I looked at Fang, and he was smiling, not that weird smile from earlier, but a true smile now. "You had better start brainstorming names, because the baby may be born as soon as tomorrow."

"You have any ideas?" I asked Fang.

"A few," he replied cryptically. I stared at him for a moment, but he didn't elaborate on his answer. Oh, well. I had a few ideas too, but if Fang wasn't going to tell me his, then I wouldn't tell him mine. "Should we ask the flock for suggestions?"

"Sure, Maxie," Fang replied.

I gave him one of my specialty death glares. "I don't care that you are my husband," I said in a deadly calm voice. "You will _never_ call me Maxie again if you don't want to die."

Fang backed off, palms out. "Whoa. Sorry Max. I won't. I promise."

I glared at him for another second, then released him from my gaze. "Come on," I said. "Let's go downstairs for name suggestions."

So Fang and I went downstairs to find everyone in the living room except Gazzy. "What did he do this time?" I asked. If he blew up the kitchen...

"Same as usual," replied Iggy. Oh. It wasn't quite as bad, I guess.

"It was gross," added Nudge. "I mean, it smelled so bad! And I had just gotten up and had gone to the kitchen to eat, and then Gazzy just farted! I mean, OMG! How gross! It's always disgusting, but..."

Iggy cut her off by yelling, "NUDGE! SHUT UP!" Nudge did, and all our ears were saved. Thank God for Iggy. He could actually shut Nudge up.

"So, guys, Fang told me he really wanted to know the baby's gender, so I asked my mom. It's a girl," cheers rose up from Angel, Ella, and Nudge, "and we need names. Any ideas?"

"How about Hannah?" asked Iggy.

I gave Iggy a look. "Hannah, Ig? Really?"

"Well...okay. You're right. It's pathetic."

"Ada?" asked Ella.

"Hey, that's a good name!" I replied. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Jean?" asked Angel.

"Not bad, actually. Maybe," I responded.

"Violet?" asked Nudge. "I mean, I know it's a color, but it's also a cool name. I mean, imagine being named after a color, especially a pretty color like..." Her voice dwindled away as Iggy gave her an annoyed look. How does a blind guy give an annoyed look, you ask? Just be annoying around Iggy and you'll find out.

"Maybe, Nudge," Fang responded. "Personally, I was thinking Olive or Rose."

"I was thinking something with an unusual first letter, like Viola, or Rose," I added.

"I like Rose," said Iggy.

"Me too," added Ella, and soon everyone was saying that they liked Rose.

"Rose it is," I decided. Fang agreed. I was glad that this time, I got to choose my baby's name.

There was a pause, then Gazzy came in. "What're you talking about?" he asked.

"I wanted to know the gender of the baby," answered Fang, "and we found out it is a girl. We brainstormed names and decided on Rose."

"Ooh! Like the flower!" Gazzy exclaimed. He's thirteen, and yet he still acts like this. Boys are so immature.

"Yes, Gazzy," I replied, trying not to laugh. "Like the flower."

Mom came down. "Max, what's your decision on a name?"

"Rose," I answered.

"Beautiful," Mom replied. "Now Max, can you come upstairs with me?"

"Sure, Mom," I responded. What did she want to say?

"Max," said Mom as soon as we were out of hearing range, "I know that you are a great person, but you're never been a mother, or really had a mother either. I just wanted to tell you that if you need any help, I'll be here for you."

I smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

Mom smiled back. "You're welcome, honey."

Suddenly, something that had been nagging me all morning came into focus. "Mom, where's Jeb?"

Mom looked uncomfortable, then said, "He's away on buisness."

Instantly, I knew she was lying. Mom was a terrible liar. "Try again," I replied.

"Um...he's not here?" asked Mom, her statement turning into a question at the end.

"No duh, Mom. I kinda got that. But where is he now?"

"He's..."

"Yes?"

"He doesn't approve," she murmured softly.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Mom looked pointedly away from my stomach. My heart sank. "The pregnancy?"

"Yes," she breathed, seemingly happy to be telling me and getting the secret off her chest. "He thinks that you're too young and you're not ready. He wanted me to try and convince you to do an abortion." My breath caught. An abortion! Why would Jeb ever think I would agree to that? Was he insane?"I said you would never do it, so there was no point in trying." She had that right. "I said you had too much respect for human life to kill an unborn baby. He got mad, and stormed out of the house. And now..." Mom's voice trailed off.

"He still hasn't come back," I finished.

"Exactly. He hasn't come back."

"I'm sure he'll turn up soon," I comforted. "He's probably on his way back now." But I could tell that my voice rang slightly false, and Mom could too. She looked like she was going to cry. I was terrified. What could I do if Mom started to cry? Luckily, Mom pulled herself back together, and just in time too. I felt bile rising in my throat for the third time this morning, and ran to the bathroom. I got there just in time and threw up in the toilet. I could feel a slight sheen of sweat on my face and grabbed my towel to wipe it off. As I reached, the baby, Rose, kicked. I gasped at the unexpected pain. Having a baby hurt! Then again, I bet this was nothing compared to labor. I put a hand to my stomach and felt an odd fluttering, like wings. Was Iggy right? Did my baby have wings? I went out to Mom to ask.

"Hey, Mom? Does the baby have wings?"

"Let me do another ultrasound, and I'll check. I want to do another anyway, to see if the rate of progression is the same, so I'll check for wings on this one."

"Okay, Mom," I replied. And so, for the fourth time now, I went into my mom's office for my third ultrasound.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: No owny. And doesn't my grammar rock?**

Mom stared at the ultrasound pictures in disbelief. "Mom..." I asked, prompting her to say something.

"Max, the baby definitely has wings. Look." Mom started to shove the picture at me, but I cut her off.

"Um, Mom, just to remind you, I'm not a doctor and I don't understand anything on these pictures."

"Oh, trust me," she replied darkly. "You'll understand this one."

With more than a bit of apprehension, I looked at the picture. Mom was right. I knew nothing about ultrasounds or medical stuff like Mom did, and yet I could clearly see the baby. It had little wings sticking out of its back. It looked as if it was completely developed.

"Mom, is it..." I trailed off, at a loss for words.

"Almost. I think you will give birth later today, maybe even by noon, three hours from now. Possibly earlier, though I doubt it. Then again, with the rate of increase, maybe you will give birth sooner. I don't know."

Wow. "Thanks, Mom. I'm going to go downstairs and tell Fang."

I decided to use my teleportation power to get downstairs. I concentrated on where I wanted to go, which was the living room, and let myself drift away. I felt my molecules fall apart, then rearrange themselves into the proper order in the living room. Ella gasped when I appeared; this was the first time she had seen my teleportation. I grinned as she stared in disbelief.

"Um, Max? How did you get here?" she asked.

"The same way the baby she's carrying did." muttered Iggy, smirking. "Fun-filled nights."

I reached over to slap Iggy, but Fang got there first. He reached over and hit Iggy's head. "Ow! Stop hitting the blind guy, people! Get over your violence issues!" Iggy whined. I just hit him again. He tried to hit me back, but I moved too quickly and he hit air instead. I couldn't hold in a giggle.

"But seriously, Max. How did you get down here? You were up in Mom's office, and now you're here..." Ella trailed off.

"I teleported, Ella," I answered. "A new power I have. Great, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Ella replied faintly. My grin got wider.

"Come on, you know it is."

"Next time, it'll be great. The first time, however, it was just creepy."

My grin became a smile. "Fair enough. Hey, Ig?"

"Yes, Max?" Iggy asked.

"Can I have more breakfast?" I asked.

"Fun-filled nights on a honeymoon make _me_ work more? How is that fair?" Iggy asked. I merely slapped him once more. He stuck his tongue out at me like a five year old, causing me to burst out laughing.

"Real mature, Ig," I managed to get out between laughs. "Real mature. Now can you get me more food?"

"Sure, Max," replied Iggy. "If you promise to stop hitting me."

I gave Iggy a look of disbelief. "My self-restraint isn't that good, Iggy. How long do you think it would last? Not long, I can tell you. An hour at most, probably"

"True... Follow me."

I smiled and followed Iggy into the kitchen, where he made me more eggs and started to defrost some sausage. I finished everything without having to throw up, which was good. Of course, I had thrown up pretty much right before that. It was probably the reason. After I finished my second breakfast, Angel and Nudge kidnapped me to take me shopping. Apparently, there was some sale at a baby clothes store, and since Rose needed clothes, it would be practically suicidal to miss the sale. Or at least, that's how Angel and Nudge made it seem. I found it stupid, but every time I tried to voice that opinion, Angel and Nudge looked at me like I said that their first-born child was stupid. Oh, well. If I must, I must. I got in the car and climbed over into the driver's seat. Angel was too young to drive, and I didn't trust Nudge in front of the wheel with me and my unborn baby in the car. On the entire drive to the store, Nudge blabbed on about different things Rose would need and Angel kept adding other things that I didn't think my daughter would need, but were absolutely necessary, according to Nudge and Angel. I knew better than to try and argue with them, it would do me no good at all.

We finally got to the baby store after a fifteen minute torture preface. Now for the main event. I allowed myself to be dragged into store after store, hating every minute of it.

After about an hour of "OMG! How cute is that!" and "Rose totally needs this!" from Angel and Nudge, we were finally done shopping. The girls piled the numerous shopping bags in the back of the car while I sat in the driver's seat. Nudge and Angel then went into the back row of seats, having somehow managed to get all the shopping bags in the trunk.

"Are you finally ready to go home?" I asked, hoping for a yes.

"Sure," said Nudge.

"For now," added Angel.

I sighed, put the car in reverse, and pulled out of the parking lot, thrilled to be leaving the shopping behind me.

I got on the highway and we got home in about half the amount of time it took to get to the stores. Nudge and Angel seemed to pick up on this, as they asked me many times, "Why didn't you take the highway on the way there?" I never answered.

When we got home, I stumbled upstairs. The shopping had made me tired, and Mom had said that pregnancy often crippled endurance levels. I lay down on my bed to take a nap.

My dream was weird. I kept seeing colors and shapes. I had no idea what they meant. It was a dream, and yet it was a nightmare at the same time. I wasn't sure whether or not I was truly asleep, which made it scarier. I groped around me, but found nothing. Then pains started in my stomach and I felt wet all of a sudden. I awoke with a start and looked at the clock. I had barely slept for twenty minutes. But I still felt wet, so I looked down. I saw a darkness spreading on my pants. Then all the pieces fell together with sickening speed. My water had broke. I was going into labor.


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey! How is everyone? You all rock! I'm pretty psyched that I almost have 80 reviews. This is my most popular story (squeee!), which is funny, since this was originally a oneshot. Keep reviewing - I love it!**

**Disclaimer: I own no one but Rose, who is about to be born!**

"Push, Max! Push!" Mom yelled over my gasps of pain. "Push!"

"I know!" I wanted to say. "I've been through this before!" But I couldn't find breath to say anything, nor did I want Fang to know. This time was much more difficult, however. Probably because of the wings.

"Come on, Max. You can do it," Fang murmured in my ear, his hand clutching mine. "Push. Get Rose out. You can do this."

I pushed, then cried out in pain.

"Almost there, Max! Keep pushing! I can see Rose's head!" Mom shouted in encouragement. "Almost there, almost there..." I gave one last push. "You did it, Max! You did it!"

I looked up to see Mom holding a little girl with Fang's olive skin and my light brown hair. I was glad that this baby resembled me at least a bit. Her little gray,white, and black wings fluttered helplessly. I had done it. I had given birth.

"Give me my baby," I said, exhausted. "Give me my Rose." Mom handed me my perfect little girl. I molded my arms into a slightly awkward cradle and held my little baby girl. "Oh, Rose," I crooned. "Rose, Rose, Rose."

Fang smiled. "Can I hold our daughter?"

I smiled back and handed Fang our wonderful little child, our daughter, our treasure, our Rose. Her little brown eyes, my eyes, opened. She yawned, and, to my intense surprise, had a full set of teeth. Judging by the expression on Mom and Fang's faces, they were surprised about her teeth too. Newborns didn't have teeth. They didn't start teething until months after their birth. Come to think of it, Rose didn't look like a newborn in other ways too, like her hair. She looked more like eighteen months, or maybe even two years old, than a baby that had been born about two minutes ago.

"Mom, why does she look so old?" I asked.

"I don't know, Max. But I do know that you just had a wonderful baby girl."

I smiled. "Can the rest of the family come in now?" Everyone had been waiting ever since I screamed to Mom and Fang that I was in labor. Everyone, that is, except Jeb. He hadn't gotten back yet from wherever he had gone off to. I had a nagging suspicion I knew where he was, but I knew I didn't know. I was slightly bothered by the confusing feeling of knowledge.

_It's because I know,_ said the Voice. Well, what do ya know? The Voice hadn't bothered me for nearly a week.

_Why, hello Voice! Long time, no hear! What brings you to this neck of the woods today?_ I thought back.

_Max..._ started the Voice, but I cut it off.

_Voice, I just had a baby, and I'm really tired. I don't think I can handle any of your cryptic hints right now. Can you tell me where Jeb is later, when I'll be more coherent?_ The Voice didn't answer, and I took that as a yes. _Thanks._

"Max? Max?" I blinked and saw Mom waving her hand in my face with a worried expression. Fang was watching me too, but I got the feeling he knew that I had been talking with the Voice.

"Yeah?" I answered.

"I was saying that everyone else could come in, but if you're tired..."

"No, Mom. It's just the Voice. Let everyone in."

Mom opened the door, and immediately everyone burst in.

"Max! You had your baby!" exclaimed Ella.

"Yes, Auntie Ella," I replied teasingly.

"Wow. It'll take some time to get used to that," said Ella, laughing.

"I have to get used to being called Mommy, so I think I have it worse."

"True, Max. I mean, Mommy," Ella replied, smiling. I smiled back.

"Wow," said Iggy, looking around the room in amazement. "Thank you so much, Angel. This is awesome!"

I looked at Angel significantly. _What are you doing?_ I thought, trying to sound stern. Unfortunately, I had just given birth and was really tired, so it sounded less stern and more exhausted.

_I'm projecting an image of you, Fang, Mom, and Rose in his head so he can see you,_ said Angel, projecting her thoughts in my head. I smiled. That was okay. I just hope Iggy's other thoughts are all appropriate for her age... Probably a vain hope, but whatever.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Fang asked, a full smile on his face.

"OMG! She's gorgeous! I mean, Rose is so pretty! But she doesn't look like a newborn. Do you think she looks like a newborn? I think she looks more like a..."

"Nudge! Shut up!" Iggy hissed. Nudge did, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Ig."

"No problem, Max."

"Wow! It's a baby!" Gazzy yelled.

"Shush!" said about five people at the same time, me included. We all waited with bated breath, but Rose did nothing. Thank God.

"Honey, you look tired," said Fang, looking at me with concern. "Do you want to go to sleep?"

"Yes, oh yes," I breathed. "Sleep sounds wonderful." And it did. Going through labor was hard work. "But Rose..."

"I'll wash her up for you!" piped up Angel. "Then Nudge and I can put her in one of the outfits we bought her!"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Nudge. "But we may need to do more shopping soon. Most of the clothes we bought were for newborns. Rose needs clothes for a one year old!" Nudge's voice drifted away as she went downstairs to get the clothes we had bought, and Angel went into the bathroom.

"I had better go help them," added Mom, and she followed Angel into the bathroom.

Fang ushered everyone else out of my room, and, despite the blood and water on my bed, I drifted off into sleep.


	11. Chapter 10

**Woo hoo! 91 reviews! You guys rock. But I know that there are a lot of people reading this that aren't reviewing. I have over four thousand hits, people. Please review when you read!**

**Disclaimer: I own Rose and the plot and nothing else**.

"Shush! You'll wake Max!" Fang's voice hissed, waking me up from my nap.

"Well, this is important!" Mom's voice hissed back. "She deserves to know!"

"Know what?" I asked drowsily, trying to pull myself into awareness. "What is it?"

"Max! Um...it's nothing..." started Fang, but Mom cut him off.

"Max, it's about Rose."

Immediately I was fully awake. "What about her?"

"Angel read her thoughts. Apparently, Rose is fully aware of what we are doing. She's talking to Angel now." My baby could talk? "Do you want to see her?"

"Mom," Fang interjected, "Max is obviously very tired and..."

"Yeah, Mom. I want to see her," I cut in. Fang shot me a look behind Mom's back. I stuck my tongue out at him.

Mom opened the door. Angel and Rose were behind it.

"Hello, Mommy!" said Rose, bounding over to my bed. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, honey. I'm feeling much better," I replied, trying to hide my surprise. Not only was she talking, but she was walking too! Mom hadn't told me that part.

"Good. Auntie Angel told me that you weren't feeling well, so I told her I wanted to see you. She said you were sleeping. But you're not sleeping anymore!"

I was amazed. My daughter was only about an hour old, yet she looked about a year, was walking across a room, and talking in full sentences. How was this possible?

_Voice?_ I thought. _Any help here?_ Of course, the Voice didn't answer. Great.

"Mommy? Do you want lunch? Uncle Iggy is making lunch downstairs for everyone." Rose's little voice cut through my thoughts.

"Yes, Rose. I'd like lunch. But I need to change first. I'll meet you down there in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy!" Rose grabbed Angel's hand and they went downstairs.

"Mom..." I started, my voice drifting off. I was at a complete loss for words.

"I don't know. Her body is that of a one year old baby, with some differences, but her mind seems to be one of a much older child, around the maturity of a six year old in some ways, and even older in others. Angel linked Rose's mind to mine, and her mind was very advanced for a child her age. I don't understand it. It defies all laws of science."

"Then again," I reminded gently, "a human with wings, telepathy, the ability to move at practically the speed of light, and the rest of the powers we have defy science as well."

Mom smiled. "True. Rose is an extraordinary baby, born to extraordinary parents. That's the best explanation I can give you."

I smiled back. "Now, what is Ig, I mean, Uncle Iggy, making for lunch?"

Fang smiled. "I'm not sure. Are you hungry?"

"Normally so," I replied.

"Come on," said Fang. "Let's see what Uncle Iggy is making for lunch."

"Okay, Daddy," I responded, smirking.

"Hurry up, Mommy!" Fang shot back.

"Stop it, both of you," Mom cut in sternly.

"Oh, be quiet, Grandma," I replied, giggling.

Mom tried to look stern, but a smile kept stealing onto her face. "Okay, you win. I'll see you downstairs after you're dressed."

I smiled back, and Mom left. Much to Fang's dismay, I shooed him out too. I went over to the bathroom, took a shower to wash any blood off me, then got dressed in jeans and a sweater. I then rushed downstairs, hungry for lunch.

As soon as I entered the kitchen, I was ambushed by my daughter. "Why, Rose, you'd think I hadn't seen you in years," I said teasingly.

Rose smiled. "I'm just happy to see you, Mommy."

I smiled back. "Hey, Uncle Iggy! What's for lunch?" I asked.

"Sandwiches," Iggy replied.

"See, Mommy!" Rose exclaimed. "Uncle Iggy made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

I couldn't help glaring at Nudge. How come Rose and Nudge aren't even technically related, and Rose still seems to have inherited Nudge's talking skills? So not fair. Nudge looked back apologetically. Oh, crap. If Nudge didn't know why I was glaring at her, and she still looked apologetic, that's bad.

_Angel, can you connect my mind to Nudge's mind?_ I asked through my thoughts.

_Sure thing, Max!_ Angel answered. I then found myself in Nudge's mind.

_Nudge, why did you give me that look? _I asked.

_Well... _she started, sounding a bit scared.

_Why?_

_Fang caught me and Iggy kissing down here while you were asleep. I thought he told you, and that's why you were glaring at me._

WHAT?


	12. Chapter 11

**Hey! I know it has been longer than usual, and I'm really sorry. DON'T KILL ME!**

**Anyway, I'm sorry. And as some of you may have noticed, I changed the title. Fang's Proposal is now The Choices in Life. Hope that didn't confuse anyone!**

**The stupid disclaimer: As I have said many times, I am the wrong gender to be JP. Plus, would I really post my ideas on the internet for everyone to see? If I were JP, I would be writing the next book of Maximum Ride (which, by the way, is out in some countries. Those lucky British people!), not messing around on fanfiction!**

Okay, that was unexpected. Iggy and Nudge had been kissing each other? I didn't really mind that much; they had been _really_ good friends for the past few years, and they weren't children now. Heck, Iggy was almost as old as me. I couldn't boss them around anymore. Still, I felt my fingers curl into fists and I immediately thought to Angel _Tell Fang to get his butt in the hallway now._

Fang went in the hallway really fast. I followed, then rounded on him as soon as we were out of the room.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I almost yelled. I probably should have kept my voice down so no one in the kitchen, particularly Rose, would hear, but I was so mad I didn't care.

"Tell you what?" God, he was annoying. Like he didn't know.

"That Iggy and Nudge were kissing! I deserve to know these things! Nudge just almost gave me a heart attack when she told me!" I snapped.

"It's out of our control Max. They wouldn't listen to us if we told them to stop. Besides, I never got a chance to tell you. Rose came in, then you shooed me out." Logic was _so_ annoying sometimes.

"Well, I guess you're right...but you could have said it before I shooed you out. Or before Rose came in."

Fang sighed. "Max, like I said, it's out of our control. Iggy and Nudge don't care if they have our 'approval' or anything. They'll keep doing it anyway."

I huffed, then went back into the kitchen. Fang was right, and I knew it. But I was still going to give both of them a talk after lunch.

"Uncle Iggy, what type of sandwiches do you have?" I asked.

"Well, Mommy, I have chicken salad, peanut butter and jelly, chicken breast, turkey breast, and a veggie wrap," he replied.

"Chicken salad, please!" I requested, smirking.

"Right away!" Ig replied, smirking as well.

Nudge looked at me anxiously. Obviously, she was afraid I would start screaming at her and Iggy. I shot her a reassuring look. At least, hopefully it was reassuring. Nudge looked much calmer, so I guess it worked.

"Mommy?" asked Rose. Oh, no. I loved my Rose, but if she was going to show off her stupid Nudge talk gene, I wouldn't be happy.

"What, Rose?" I replied.

"Can I fly, Mommy?"

The question took me by surprise. "Well, I don't think your wings would support you yet. But when you're older, then yes. And you can fly with me or Daddy holding you." My wording sounded innocent enough, but the warning was clear. Only Fang and I could fly with Rose. No one else. If anyone did...well, let's just say I would be pretty darn mad. Like, punch them _really hard_ mad. I doubt anyone wanted that. I would make sure to tell everyone exactly what would happen if they flew with Rose without my permission.

"Oh. Well, Mommy, can you take me flying sometime soon?"

"Sure, honey. Maybe we can go for a fly later this afternoon."

"Okay, Mommy."

Iggy then brought over my sandwich. "Thanks, Ig," I replied. "I mean, Uncle Iggy."

Iggy stuck his tongue out at me again. I burst out laughing. I had tears running down my face and was clutching my side before I was able to stop. "Wow, Ig," I managed to get out. "Real mature of you. Really, for the second time?"

"Yeah, cause you're so much more mature," Iggy retorted.

"Touché" I replied, then dug into my sandwich. "Oh, and by the way," I added when I came up for breath after practically inhaling the first half of my sandwich, "I want to talk with you and Nudge after lunch, Iggy."

"Okay," replied Iggy, looking a bit worried. Nudge's expression went to terrified again._ Angel,_ I thought. _Tell Nudge I'm not going to kill her. I just want to have a talk with her and Iggy._

_Will do, Max!_ Angel responded in my head. Then a new voice popped up. My Voice, actually.

_Max, you need to know where Jeb is,_ the Voice said. Riddle time!

_Any chance that you'll just tell me instead of spouting some fortune-cookie crap?_ I asked hopefully.

_Alright, Max,_ the Voice relented. _I'll tell you. Jeb went back to Itex._

What?" I nearly screamed in my head. _Itex was destroyed. I did it myself. How could Jeb go back?_

_Max, Itex was destroyed, but lots of the whitecoats are still alive. They've formed another group. This one is more discreet. And Jeb has gone to them._

_Why?_ I asked, although I had a sinking feeling I knew.

_The whitecoats want to know what a child of two genetic experiments would be like. Namely, a child conceived by you and Fang._

_Rose,_ I whispered back. _They want Rose._

_Exactly. And I'm afraid they'll do anything to get their hands on her._


	13. Chapter 12

**I know this is a little early, but I feel bad about making you wait a few extra days before. I will still post on Saturday or Sunday.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. But I do own this plot and Rose!**

Oh, crap. Itex was back, and they wanted my baby. I felt a tear slide down my face. Immediately, Fang's arms were around me, holding me gently.

"What is it, Max?" he asked.

"Get Rose out," I croaked. "I need to talk with everyone, but she can't be in here." Fang motioned to Mom, and she took the hint.

"Rose, do you want to go upstairs and read a book?"

"Sure, Grandma! Can we read Peter Rabbit again? I really like that book..." Rose's little voice trailed off as she and Mom went upstairs.

"Max, what is it?" Fang asked again, once Rose was out of earshot.

"Fang, they want her. They want our baby," I whispered back.

"Who, honey? Who wants Rose?"

"Itex." Everyone was speechless, even Nudge. "The whitecoats have formed another group, and they want to study Rose."

"How do they know about her?" asked Ella in a whisper.

"Jeb. He went to them after he found out I was pregnant. The Voice told me."

"Jeb? But I thought..." Ella trailed off, unable to speak.

"So did I," I replied. "So did I."

"Jeb _betrayed_ us?" Fang snarled. "How could he? I trusted him, we all trusted him. And now, the second the whitecoats have what they want, he runs off to them. I thought he truly cared when he adopted all of us."

"I did too. I never would have thought that someone friends with evil scientists would be capable of such kindness," I replied, burying my face in Fang's chest. "I actually had begun to love him and think of him as a father. And now..."

"That trust is gone," Iggy finished for me.

"Exactly," I whispered, then the tears overflowed. Fang put his arms around me and rubbed my back as I cried. All the stress was overflowing. I no longer thought I was capable of dealing with it.

_You are, Max,_ said the Voice softly in my head. _You're the indestructible Maximum Ride. You can deal, and you won't let the whitecoats get your baby. I know you, Max. I'm inside of you. I know that you can deal with this, no matter what you think._

_Voice, how can you be sure? _I asked. _How do you know that the whitecoats won't get Rose?_

_Max, you won't let them. You will not allow those evil men to get their hands on your baby._ For the first time, I thought I could detect an inflection in the Voice's words.

_But Voice..._

_Max, your family needs you. Rose needs you. You can't shut yourself up inside of your mind._

_Alright,_ I relented, and pulled myself out of my own mind and became aware again of my surroundings. Iggy was holding Nudge close to him, and Angel and Gazzy seemed to be comforting each other. Ella was standing in the doorway, looking lost. No matter what we did, she would never be able to truly belong in the flock, since she didn't have wings. But she was my sister, so I put out my hands and she joined in my embrace with Fang. Fang didn't look extremely pleased, but he allowed it.

Mom came downstairs. "Rose is..." she stopped, looking around the room. "What happened down here?"

"Mom, Itex wants Rose," I whispered. "The whitecoats want a child of two genetic experiments to study."

"But I thought Itex was destroyed!"

"We did too. But some whitecoats formed a new group."

"How do they know about Rose?" asked Mom, with a look that showed she was afraid she knew the answer.

"Jeb told them."

"No," Mom whispered. "Jeb couldn't have told them. He wouldn't do that."

"I thought that too, Mom," I replied. "He fooled all of us."

"Why did he do it?" Mom asked.

"I don't know, Mom," I replied. "Unless...remember what you told me before?"

"He thought you were too young," Mom whispered. "He was mad at me for arguing with him. That's why."

"Yes," I whispered back. "He's still angry. He's still holding the grudge."

"So he went to the scientists," Mom murmured.

"Guys, what are you talking about?" Fang asked.

"Jeb left because we had an argument," Mom answered. "He wanted Max to do an abortion. He thought she was too young to have a baby. Max and I think that's why he went to the scientists."

"So I wouldn't have the baby anymore," I finished.

"Now, how are we going to defeat the whitecoats?" Fang asked.

"And how are we going to keep this from Rose?" I added. There was silence. Then we heard a scream from upstairs. Fang and I ran up immediately. What if the whitecoats had already left where ever their new base was? What if they were here right now, stealing Rose, while we were trying to figure out Jeb's motives for telling them? What if we were too late to save Rose?

**Next chapter has a plot twist, and there's a major plot twist soon! Hope you're ready...**


	14. Chapter 13

**Muahahahaha! I know I freaked people out last chapter. ROSE IS SAFE! For now, at least...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. There. I said it. Now read the chapter.**

I got in my room first. Rose was sleeping in there. Mom had put her in my bed. She was flailing around in it. Luckily, she hadn't fallen off. There was no one else there.

I sighed in relief, then grabbed Rose and woke her up gently. "Rose, what's wrong?" I asked quietly.

"Mommy! I just had a nightmare where there were men in white coats trying to grab me and take me away from you! It was scary!" Rose started to cry.

I sat, frozen, with my arms around Rose's trembling form. I saw Fang in the doorway with an expression that probably mirrored mine. "What did you see, Rose?" I forced out in amazement.

"Bad men in white coats that were trying to take me away from you!" she sobbed. What the heck? Had Rose just seen into the future?

"Where was this?" I asked.

"I don't know," she replied, her tears beginning to stop. "There were lots of trees, and a really big rock, and a little river nearby."

I looked at Fang. We knew that place. It was where Jeb had proposed to Mom. Fang and I had gone there multiple times to get away from the house when it was particularly crazy. One instance that stood out in my mind was when Iggy and Gazzy accidentally blew up the brand new gazebo. Needless to say, Mom and Jeb were not pleased. In an effort to escape, Fang and I found the little spot. We stayed there for a few hours. When we got back, Mom and Jeb asked us where we had been. After I explained the place, Mom told us that Jeb had proposed to her there. Fang and I had been there multiple times since. It was a place of happy memories. And now, it seemed that whitecoats would attack us there. That is, they would if Rose's dream was correct.

"Rose, did you notice anything else about what you saw?" I asked.

"Well, there were you, me, Daddy, Uncle Iggy, Uncle Gazzy, Auntie Angel, and Auntie Nudge. Auntie Ella and Grandma weren't there."

"What about the men in the white coats?" I asked. I wonder if she had seen Jeb with them.

"Well, I didn't recognize any of them except one."

"Who was he?" I asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "I've just seen him in a picture with Grandma. Grandma was wearing a pretty white dress, and the man was wearing a white shirt and black pants, with a black jacket over it."

I went over to the desk drawer. I had a picture of Mom and Jeb's wedding in it. "This man?" I asked, pointing at Jeb.

"Yes, Mommy." My heart sank. "Who is he?"

Crap. How can I say this to Rose? She knows him as "a bad man in a white coat." I couldn't tell her that Jeb was her grandpa.

"He's Grandma's husband," Fang answered, coming over to us and sitting down next to me on the bed. I shot him an annoyed look. Did he have to? Rose's face grew surprised and terrified. "He didn't approve of Max having you."

"If he's Grandma's husband, then did she not want me born either?" Rose asked sadly.

"No, honey!" I answered. "Grandma loves you, and she supported me having you. And I'm sure that Jeb, that is, Grandma's husband, would love you too, if he saw you. He left before I came back here, ready to have you. If he had seen you, I'm sure he wouldn't be there, with the whitecoats."

"Mommy? Why are you taking my dream so seriously?" Rose asked.

"Well, Rose..." I didn't know what to say. Could I dare tell her I thought she was looking into the future and that the whitecoats really were after her?

Fang opened his mouth, but I shook my head at him exuberantly. He was too blunt. If Rose had to know, I wanted to be the one to tell her. I would ease it to her.

_Angel?_ I thought.

_Yeah, Max?_ Angel replied.

_Should I tell her?_

_I don't know. Why don't I link you and Fang and you can discuss it._

_Thanks, Angel._ There was a moment of waiting, then I found myself in Fang's mind._ Fang, what should we tell her?_ I thought at him.

_Tell her the truth,_ Fang replied simply.

_How?_ I asked. _I don't want to just say it! It'll scare her to death. She was terrified of the dream, and she thought it wasn't real. If she finds out that it is..._

_She'll be able to deal with it. She may technically only be a few hours old, but Mom says that her mind is far more advanced._

_She's just a child!_ I snapped. The I realized what I did. _Sorry, Fang. But she is just a child._

_But she's not, Max. You're wrong. And she can deal with this,_ Fang replied.

I considered it for a moment, then thought to Angel _Angel, disconnect our minds._

_Sure, Max!_ Angel replied, and I left Fang's mind and became aware of my surroundings again. Rose was still looking at me curiously.

"Rose," I said carefully, "we think that you're seeing into the future."

"You mean what happened in my dream will really happen?"

"Yes, Rose. There really are bad men in white coats after you. But Daddy and I will never let them get you, honey. We'll protect you."

Rose gasped in terror. "But Mommy! In my dream, the bad men took me away!"

**What do you think? Rose being psychic was only the MINOR plot twist. The MAJOR plot twist is still to come...**


	15. Chapter 14

**Major plot twist alert! IT'S THE CHAPTER YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!**

**At the end of this is a major plot twist. But don't skip down! I will know...I have Magnolia to spy on you!**

**Magnolia: Woof!**

**Total: Magnolia! I thought I was teaching you manners! Really...where are we anyway?**

**Me: *poofs Magnolia and Total back to the Martinez house* Okay...Angel! She'll spy on you instead!**

**Angel: Yay! I get to read minds! I like you better than Max! Can I stay?**

**Me: Sure, Angel! I don't mind! So read the whole chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Hmm. I didn't own MR last chapter. I didn't own it the chapter before. Do you think I own it now?**

I sat, absolutely frozen. Rose saw us _lose_? She saw the whitecoats take her away? But if this was the future, then would that really happen? Was there no point in trying at all?

No, we would still try. Even if we were doomed from the start, we would still try.

_Max, you may not be doomed,_ said the Voice.

_What do you mean?_ I asked, desperate for any shred of hope to cling to.

_The future is a fickle thing. It fluctuates depending on people's decisions._

_In English, please?_ I requested.

_The future changes with choices you make. For example, maybe now Rose sees you losing, but if you do something differently than the way you're planning right now, then you may win._

_Then we have a chance_? I asked, the shroud of hopelessness that had enveloped me beginning to disappear. _We may not lose Rose?_

_Exactly. In fact, there's a good possibility that you will win. You have a new weapon now, one that you didn't have before Rose's vision. You now can look into the future and see where they'll come from and know when they'll arrive. You'll be prepared now._

Thank God. We weren't doomed. Rose may not have to go with the whitecoats.

"Mommy?" asked Rose. "If I saw the bad men take me away, does that mean that they will take me away later?"

"No, honey!" I replied joyfully. "The future changes a lot. Just because you saw that in your dream doesn't mean that it will really come true. If we went by what we were going to do then, it would. If no one made any different choices, then it would come true. But we'll make a plan, then you can check if it would let us win. When we get to the one that would make us win, we'll keep it."

"How do you know?" Fang hissed at me while Rose smiled angelically.

"The Voice told me," I replied.

"Who's the Voice?" Rose asked.

"It's a Voice in my head. It tells me things sometimes," I answered.

"Mommy, are you crazy?" Rose asked, looking at me oddly.

I smiled. "Yes, Rose. You might say that."

"Oh," replied Rose. She paused, then muttered "That explains a lot."

I fake-gasped as Fang began to laugh. Downstairs, I heard everyone laughing too. "Why, Rose, I believe that was an insult!" I cried. Fang was doubled up with laughter beside me, barely able to breathe.

"Sorry, Mommy," replied Rose, not looking sorry at all.

"Rose, I don't really mind. I'm just kidding. But I would like to know what that explains."

"Well, Auntie Angel told me you talked to yourself, and I saw you mouthing things to yourself when you were in the kitchen."

"I was talking to Nudge in my head, dear. Auntie Angel connected our minds. Speaking of which, Rose, if Auntie Angel connected our minds, could you show me your dream?"

"Well, okay Mommy," she replied, her voice trembling. "But I want you to hold me."

"That's fine, sweetheart." My poor baby. It killed me to know I was making her go through this a second time, but I couldn't help it. I needed to see the vision.

Rose clambered onto my lap, and I put my arms around her. I motioned to Fang, and he got the hint and left the room. I wanted to do this alone with Rose. She squeezed me tightly. _Angel?_ I thought. _Can you connect my mind to Rose's?_

_Sure, Max,_ Angel replied. I then went into my daughter's mind.

"Rose," I thought in her head. I felt her surprise. _It's just me, baby. Can you show me the vision now?_

_Mommy, it's scary!_

_But remember, Rose, it won't come true. But I need you to show it to me so I can tell what we do and I can stop it._

_Okay,_ she replied fearfully.

The vision tumbled into my mind. I saw me and Fang holding Rose, sitting on the ground having a picnic. Angel and Gazzy were swimming, and Iggy and Nudge were talking a while away from everyone else. I could hear them whispering about things I really didn't need to know. If they did that in real life, I would kill them. We were all so carefree. That would be the first thing I would change. We needed to be alert.

Then footsteps were heard, crashing through the undergrowth. Everyone jumped up, but no one was at all battle-ready. The second thing that needed to be changed.

First came Jeb, with a bunch of whitecoats behind him. In the vision, my fists curled. I think my real hands became fists too, but I wasn't sure. There were some Flyboys too, which I guess had been resurrected.

Then came Mr. Chu. I cringed when I saw him both in the vision and now. I had so many bad memories associated with him.

And behind him came a little boy. He had Mr. Chu's features almost completely, but he had my brown eyes. I gasped, both in the vision and now. It was Johnathan. My son. The one I had almost three years ago now, when Mr. Chu had raped me.

**What do you think? I know that was a major plot twist! I wanted to make this less like ****Breaking Dawn****, since lots of people told me they were really alike. The whole story of Johnathan is coming soon! I considered naming him Justin, a joke you will get if you've read St Fang of Boredom's "Another Form of the Avian Bird Flu," which I highly recommend. But I thought Mr. Chu was the type of person who would name their son some old-fashioned fancy name, and Justin didn't fit it.**


	16. Chapter 15

**Me: Tee-hee! I confused people last chapter! And, because I love you all, I decided to give you the newest chapter way early. What can I say? I'm just a kind, loving person! And if BlackAthena or Rose the packs Fang is reading this, that is true. And if this conflicts with anything in FANG, which is out in some countries, I'm sorry. I live in the US, and we're not getting it until March 15th. :(**

**Angel: What's FANG? Oh! Hey, people! Yeah, I'm staying with Winter. Of my own free choice, mind you.**

**Me: Yeah, Angel's here too. Apparently, she likes me better because I let her read people's minds.**

**Angel: And Winter likes me more than her 8 year old sister.**

**Me: I sure do. But you don't care, do you? So now, let's get on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: No own.**

I wanted to pull out of Rose's mind. I almost couldn't bear to see my Johnathan with his father. I had hoped that I would never see my son again. Seeing him brought back too many terrible memories. But if Rose could stand the vision, so could I. Then again, she hadn't known who Johnathan was. But if I didn't watch, then the vision could come true and Rose would be taken. So I watched. I analyzed our fighting techniques used in the vision so we would use more efficient ones in the real fight. The techniques were pathetic. We obviously weren't ready for a fight, and the whitecoats took advantage of that.

We were totally pummeled almost instantaneously. Iggy hadn't thought to bring bombs on a picnic, so he didn't get to destroy many Erasers before being knocked unconscious. Gazzy followed him on the ground in a heap soon after. Then Angel went down. It didn't take long for the only people still conscious in the flock to be me and Fang. Fang stood in front of me in a vain attempt to protect me, since I was holding Rose. The rest of the flock was on the ground around us, unable to help. The outcome was obvious.

Fang was grabbed by two Flyboys. He struggled so much that a whitecoat had to sedate him. He fell to the ground. Two more Flyboys ran towards me. I hadn't been doing much fighting since I was holding Rose and my movement was limited. I didn't want to put Rose down for fear a whitecoat would grab her when I wasn't looking, but both my arms were busy holding her up. So I couldn't defend myself when a Flyboy grabbed me.

Mr. Chu came up. He took Rose from my struggling form and whispered "Another prize." I was about to kick him when a whitecoat tranquilized me with a shot to my back. I kept struggling, but then the tranquilizer began to work. In the vision, I slumped to the ground, landing next to Fang. Rose began to cry, then a whitecoat sedated her as well and she slumped in Mr. Chu's arms. In the real world, I fought not to scream at that. Another whitecoat went around tranquilizing the rest of the already unconscious flock surrounding us. A truck drove up and the whitecoats began to load all of us into it. Then the vision ended, and I left Rose's mind. My daughter was sobbing onto my shirt, her tears soaking through the green wool sweater. I felt tears in my eyes as well, partially for Rose and the fight, and partially because I had found it hard to see Johnathan.

Four years ago, I had gotten kidnapped by Mr. Chu. He had raped me, and held me hostage for almost a year to see what my pregnancy would be like. After a few tries, I had gotten pregnant with Johnathan, but his birth was normal. He seemed to have grown normally as well. When the flock finally rescued me, Johnathan was about two months old. I couldn't take him with me. He was too little. I hadn't told anyone about him; it hurt too much to think about my poor baby I left behind.

_Max?_ I heard softly in my mind. Angel.

_Get out of my head, Angel,_ I snapped.

I felt Angel's hurt, then she left. I couldn't feel bad about it yet. No doubt I would be guilty later, but now I couldn't feel anything for her. The only people I could feel for now were myself and my poor Johnathan.

I wanted to be alone. But my daughter was clamping on my shirt and was still crying. I wanted her to get off of me, but I didn't think she was capable of walking right now. "Fang?" I called in a strangled voice.

"Max?" he asked, appearing in the room almost immediately. "What is it?"

"Take Rose and go," I whispered.

"Are you sure..."

"Take Rose!" I screamed. "Take her and leave me alone!" Rose looked up at me in shock, her tears forgotten.

"Max..." started Fang, walking towards me and gently stroking my face.

"Get away, Fang!" I shrieked, slapping his hand away. "Get the heck away!"

Fang pulled a startled Rose off my lap, then walked out of the room with a sad expression. No doubt I would be guilty about that too, but now I couldn't feel anything but sadness for Johnathan. My poor Johnathan. The tears began to overflow. My poor, poor baby.

Apparently, since he was normal, Mr. Chu didn't want him. He wanted Rose instead. He didn't want his son. There was no way I wanted to see Mr. Chu again, but I wanted both my children! I felt terrible about leaving Johnathan to his father, but I couldn't have taken a little, wingless baby with me! I had been sixteen, for crying out loud! If it happened now, I would be able to take Johnathan and bring him to Mom, or even take care of him like a mother myself, but three years ago I didn't know what to do. I assumed that Mr. Chu would love him, or if not love him, at least take care of him. After all, Johnathan _was_ his son. And he was the one who had wanted a baby, not me. He kidnapped me, just so he could get Johnathan.

But from the looks of my poor Johnathan, Mr. Chu hadn't taken good care of him. Johnathan looked sad and hungry. His clothes were dirty and hanging off him. His face had a gaunt look to it, and his expression looked to be the one of a person much older than three. I got the feeling that Mr. Chu did that on purpose, though. He wanted me to get mad because my son was so badly treated. That miscreant! Johnathan was a _child_, for God's sake. And he was Mr. Chu's son. You'd think even a villain would take care of his own _son_, but no. Which meant I would have to take my boy back. Somehow, I would have to get my baby boy back.

In an attempt to take my mind of Johnathan, I began to come up with fighting techniques to use in the battle. But my mind kept floating back to my poor son. Finally, I gave in and cried.

I stayed in my room all day. Nothing, not pleas from Fang, not bribes of food from Iggy, not the tearful face of my daughter, not Mom's sharp command "Maximum Ride, you get down here this instant!", not the Voice telling me everything would be alright, would get me to leave my room. Iggy brought in my dinner, and tried to talk with me, but I refused. An hour later, he came back in to retrieve the untouched plate. Fang came in too, but I didn't talk to him either, or even acknowledge his presence next to me on the bed. Angel tried to get into my mind, but I pushed her out. I just wanted to be alone.

Mom came in my room too. When she left, I heard snatches of a conversation behind the closed door. The voices belonged to her and Fang.

"What's wrong with her, Mom?" Fang asked.

"I don't know. She's nearly cationic! Do you have any idea what may have caused this?"

"I have no idea! She was fine before she saw Rose's vision, then after she was traumatized. The vision didn't do this to Rose. Why did it affect Max like this?"

"Maybe it was hard for her to see her only child taken away."

"No," I croaked. Both Mom and Fang heard me from outside and entered my room. "That wasn't it. And Rose isn't my only child."

**Me: I know Max was a little OOC in this chapter, but that's what I think she would do if this happened to her. Angel helped me with it.**

**Angel: Yes, I did! All the best parts are mine!**

**Me: No they aren't!**

**Angel: Whatever. Now, back to my other question. What is FANG? It doesn't sound like you're talking about my fellow flock member.**

**Me: Umm... Can anyone help me with this?**


	17. Chapter 16

**Me: I was asked to please update many times, and as my anonymous reviewer Allie said, I am in the middle of the climax. And you did give me lovely reviews for the last chapter! So, here's the next chapter! And the million dollar question is...What will Fang's reaction be?**

**Angel: Ooh! I know! He'll...**

**Me: *puts hand over Angel's mouth* Angel! We're not telling them yet! They need to read the chapter first!**

**Angel: *muffled noises***

**Me: What?**

**Angel: *takes my hand off her mouth* I said, "Okay! Let's get to the chapter then!"**

**Me: Well, why didn't you say that in the first place! Here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Rose and Johnathan. Even though Angel is here, I don't own her.**

"What?" Fang immediately said. His mouth dropped open in shock. "Rose is your only child, Max. Have you gone crazy?"

"Max," added Mom, more calmly. "You have one child. And that child is Rose."

"One child you know about," I corrected. "But I also have a son." Fang and Mom were speechless. "Come downstairs. I want to tell everyone about him."

My husband and Mom followed me down the stairs and into the living room. The rest of the flock was in there, along with Ella and Rose, who I guess was a member of the flock, actually. They had all been talking, but they stopped when I entered the room. I had a feeling they were talking about me. If it were a normal time, I would laugh, but I couldn't now. My emotions were just coming back under my control, but I couldn't laugh yet.

As I sat down on the couch, everyone stared at me with a cautious air, almost like people looking at a tame bear. It may be harmless, but no one wants to be near it anyway. This was the same way Angel, Nudge, and Total had reacted around Ari when he joined my mini-flock. I cracked a wry smile at the irony, which soon faded away when I remembered that Ari's time in my mini-flock had been the last days of his short life.

"Mommy?" Rose asked quietly, sitting on the other end of the couch I was on, the only one who dared come anywhere near me. "Are you better now?"

"Yes, Rose," I whispered. "I'm better now."

Rose smiled and snuggled up next to me. "Good. I wanted my mommy back."

I almost cried. I had only thought of myself, not the others I was hurting. Rose obviously must have had a hard time, and Fang too. It couldn't have been easy for anyone. And everyone was trying to help me. When Iggy came in with dinner, he had tried to talk with me, but I had shut him out. Same with Fang. Angel had tried to help me in my mind, and even the Voice had attempted to comfort me. But I didn't listen to them. I simply hurt everyone I loved in my self-absorbed temper-tantrum. True, I had a reason, but I still hurt people. I felt like a monster.

It took all my self control not to burst out of the room, go back upstairs, and cry for the rest of the day, and most likely tomorrow too. But that would hurt everyone again. The only way to stop hurting them would be to talk and act normal, even if I felt far from it. I tried to fake a smile, but from the looks everyone was giving me, they didn't believe it. I let the plastered smile fade away.

"Everyone?" I asked, my throat dry and my voice rough. Instantly, Iggy went to get me a glass of water. "Thanks," I told him when he materialized at my elbow with the ice-cold glass. I took a sip, enjoying the feel of the icy water sliding down my parched throat, then started again. "Everyone, I need to tell you about someone. His name is Johnathan Chu." Gasps sounded around the room. Well, if they thought that was bad, the next thing would knock their socks off. "He is my son."

The first person to move, after what seemed like an eternity, was Fang. "Johnathan _Chu_?" he asked, his voice almost a snarl. "You..."

"No, Fang!" I cried, cutting him off. "It wasn't my choice."

"Explain," Fang growled, his voice low and dangerous.

"Mr. Chu wanted a child born from a genetic experiment. Remember when he kidnapped me for nearly a year? He raped me too. Nine months later, Johnathan was born."

"Why didn't you tell us, Max?" asked Iggy, his voice much less angry then Fang's.

"It hurt too much," I admitted. "When you came to rescue me, he was only two months old and wingless. I couldn't take him with me, no matter how much I wanted too. So I tried to forget about him, because the memories were too painful."

Angel came over and hugged me. "We would have helped you, if you'd told us."

"You could have brought him to me," Mom added. "I would have taken care of him for you, no matter who his father was."

"I know that now," I explained. "But when I was sixteen, I was just confused. I wanted to get out, and I didn't think I could do that without leaving Johnathan."

"Wow!" Nudge exclaimed, an excited expression crossing over her face. "You have another kid! Then, like, Rose has a brother! Well, half-brother actually, but who cares! And I'm an aunt with a niece _and _a nephew! This is so cool!" Iggy gave Nudge a gentle warning look and she shut up. He pressed his lips against hers gently for a moment, then turned his attention over to me.

"Mommy, I have a brother?" Rose asked.

"Yes, dear," I replied. "You do. He was in your vision. The little Asian-looking boy next to the Asian man."

"Oh, yeah! I remember him! Yay! I have a big brother!"

Everyone but Fang congratulated me on having another son, or at least seemed slightly happy about it. They all promised that they would help get Johnathan back. Then Angel started yawning, and Rose was about to fall asleep in my lap, so I put her to bed. Angel went to bed too, along with Gazzy. Iggy and Nudge went upstairs, and Ella left to take a shower. Mom, sensing I wanted to talk with Fang, mumbled some excuse and left as well.

"Fang?" I asked quietly. He didn't answer. Yippee. A monologue.

"Fang, I'm sorry I let Mr. Chu take advantage of me, but I was young, my arm had been shot, I was dehydrated and starving, and M-Geeks were holding me in place with guns pointed at me. I couldn't defend myself. And I would have told you, but it was so painful. Remember how after you rescued me, I was different: quieter and sadder? That was because of Johnathan, and I was trying my hardest _not_ to think about him. If I deliberately thought of him, it would have been like today, and I couldn't risk that while we were on the run. I'm sorry, but..." I was cut off as Fang vanished from sight. I heard his nearly silent footsteps leave the room, then go up the stairs. And I was alone in the living room. I had possibly lost my husband. I couldn't help it. I curled up into a ball on the couch and cried until I had no more tears.

"Oh, honey," murmured Mom when she saw me, tear tracks running down my cheeks. "Oh, Max, what happened?"

"Fang didn't listen," I whispered. "In the middle of what I was saying, he got up and left."

"I'm so sorry," Mom whispered, her arms rocking me. I melted into her embrace, and felt like a little child, seeking comfort in her mother's arms. As Mom held me, I fell asleep.

**Me: I know Fang is OOC now, and he's being a jerk, but I wanted to add more to the plot.**

**Angel: Nah, I think he would act like that. But what happens next...**

**Me: ANGEL! SHUT IT! YOU CAN'T TELL THEM!**

**Angel: Review?**


	18. Chapter 17

**Me: Hello, random people! I have again decided to grace you with my awesomeness early! Be happy!**

**Just a note: I told some people Fang would come to his senses in chapter 23. I'm sorry, but I changed my mind. You'll find out why in that chapter, chapter 23. It shows what was wrong with Fang. I bet you will all be shocked!**

**Angel: What's this, Winter?**

**Me: ANGEL! GET OUT OF MY DOCUMENTS!**

**Angel: You love Iggy?**

**Me: YES! Wait, did I just say that out loud?**

**Angel: Yup!**

**Me: Crap...**

**Disclaimer: I woke up as James Patterson this morning! ...No, actually, I didn't.** **So I don't own Maximum Ride. Nor do I own Iggy...and I only kidnapped Angel... :(**

I woke up in my room. I trivially wondered how on earth Mom had gotten me up there for a moment, then remembered last night. I remembered my talk with Fang.

I looked around. No one was in my room. I strained my ears, but I couldn't hear anything. Then I looked at the clock and realized it was a little past 4 o'clock in the morning. Stupid me. Of course no one would be up. It was way too early.

I got up and walked over to my computer. I wasn't great with it, unlike Fang, but I wasn't terrible. I opened up my email and sorted through spam and other useless things until I found the email I was looking for. It was an email from Jeb. I had gotten it about two months ago, when Jeb was away on business.

It read: _Dear Max,_

_As you know, I'm on a business trip for the CSM; talking with officials in Mexico. I would like to tell you, however, that is not my only objective. I am trying to find the headquarters of Mr. Chu so you and the flock can defeat him once and for all. I will do my best not to get him suspicious, but I don't know if it'll work. I have found the headquarters; they are situated on an island off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula named Isla del Grillo, or Shackle Island in English. If I don't come home when planned, assume I have been captured by Mr. Chu or one of his associates. Please come for me if this is the case. I know I'm not your favorite person in the world, but please rescue me despite any misgivings you may have about me. I almost know I will be captured; Mr. Chu is almost too dastardly and intelligent to beat. Please promise me, Max._

_Lots of love,_

_Your father_

I found my response in the sent mail box. I had basically said I would rescue him, and that he should sign his letters _Sincerely, Jeb_, since I didn't consider him a father. He hadn't gotten captured, but I still had this email. Which meant I knew where Mr. Chu's headquarters were. And despite the fact I never wanted to set my eyes on that despicable Asian again, I had to go. I could find data and maybe even records, and maybe, just maybe, I could spring Johnathan.

I got up, and considered waking the flock and leaving. Then the talk with my family, and the one with my husband later, flooded back into my mind. I couldn't tell them. I had to leave without them.

I grabbed a post-it note and a pen to jot down a quick note.

_Dear everyone, _I wrote.

_I'm going away for a short while. I will try to get back. Don't follow me to try and save me if I don't. I want you to be safe, which is why I'm not telling you where I am. Listen to Rose's visions; they will help in the upcoming battle. And be careful in the fight. At all costs, protect my daughter please. Fang, I love you. I hope you still love me too._

_I love you all._

_Max._

I got ready to leave when I heard a knock on my door. I opened it to find Iggy.

"Max?" he asked.

"What?" I demanded.

Instead of answering me, Iggy found his way onto my bed and sat down. I sat down next to him in concern. "What, Ig?" I asked again.

"Max, Fang truly loves you," Iggy stated.

I gasped at his matter-of-fact tone. "How do you know?" I was startled into saying.

"His love is very strong, Max. His emotions flare with love when you enter a room."

I gasped again, this time at his words. "How the heck do you know his emotions?" I asked.

A frown appeared on Iggy's face. "I'm not sure. I was sitting in the living room before you came down, and suddenly I could somehow feel emotions. Not really _know_ them, but they each have a different...a different color. Yes, that's a good way to describe it. Everyone began to radiate different colors. I still can't see, but people just...glow with a color."

"Like the trails that you see? Being able to see where people have been?"

"Yes. And right now, you're an orangey color, which means you're stressed and nervous. I want to know why."

"Um..."

"Does it have something to do with your computer? I can feel that you went over there."

"No," I lied, too quickly. Iggy smirked.

"You just flashed red for a second, which means you're lying. Why is your computer making you stressed?"

"Um..." Crap. I can't lie or Iggy will know...well, I could tell half the truth or something... Yeah. I'll tell part of the truth. "It's personal, Ig." Technically, that was true. The email was mine. Technically, it was personal. Sort of.

"Max..."

"Please, Ig?" I begged. "I'll tell you later."

Iggy's expression softened. "Okay, Max. You can tell me later in the morning." With that, he turned around. Right before he got to the door, however, Iggy turned around and wrapped his arms around me. "We all love you, Max," he stated quietly. Then he left the room.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I went over and opened up the doors to the little deck off my room. Every flock member had one, in case we needed to get out quickly. I went on the deck and unfurled my wings.

_Max,_ said the Voice._ Stay here. Stop running away. I command you to stay._

Now, a few years ago, I would have thought sarcastically _Yeah, right, Voice. Commanding me works great._ But I've grown up since then. So instead, I thought _It's my life, Voice. Butt out._

Okay, maybe I haven't grown_ that _much. But the Voice left my head, and I jumped off the deck. It took a few hard flaps, but I managed to get in the air. Using my super-speed, I flew to Isla de Grillo.

As I neared Isla de Grillo, I began to think up plans. But all of them were destroyed when I felt a bullet tear through my leg as I hovered overhead. I gasped and fell a few feet. Then I flew back up and managed to get about a mile away before I landed.

I pressed my jacket against my leg. Using my belt, I tied the jacket tightly around the gunshot wound. I then got up and managed to fly back to Mom's house. I touched down in the yard, then passed out.

**Me: Poor Max! And I made up the island, so don't try going there to attack Mr. Chu. It won't work.**

**Angel: Yeah. We haven't found Mr. Chu's headquarters yet...**

**Me: Well, I think it would be here. *points to a place on a map***

**Angel: Where did you get that map?**

**Me: With my magical author skills, of course!**

**Angel: Okay...Review!**

**Me: By the way, I have a new Twilight story coming very soon, and a new Maximum Ride story coming in the not-too-distant future. Please read!**


	19. Chapter 18

**Angel: Can you kidnap Total for me?**

**Me: *snaps and Total magically appears* Your wish is my command.**

**Angel: Really?**

**Me: JUST A FIGURE OF SPEECH!**

**Total: What am I doing here? And where is here anyway?**

**Angel: TOTAL!**

**Disclaimer: I own the bullet that hit Max...but I don't own her or the series. Nor do I own Total and Angel. I just kidnapped them.**

I wasn't fully awake, but I could hear voices.

"Max? Max, wake up!" Ella.

"She's lost a lot of blood. I think I need to do a transfusion." Mom.

"I'll donate some blood. And don't worry. She'll be fine." Iggy.

"Mommy, please wake up!" Rose. I tried to wake up at her plea, but couldn't.

"Max? Like, can you hear me? Please wake up! Everyone's so worried! We _need_ you, Max. You're the leader of the flock. You..." Nudge. Her voice was cut off by a soft "shh," from Iggy.

"Look what I found in her room!" Gazzy. I guessed he found the note, and the gasps I heard cemented it.

"She was going to leave?" Angel. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

I now had heard almost everyone in my family. There was only one voice left. And I didn't hear it. I needed it. My need was so great that it propelled me from unconscious into awareness to search for it.

I tried to open my eyes. They fluttered slightly.

"Hey!" Ella's voice. "I thought I just saw Max's eyes move!" Ella was right, but I doubt anyone else saw it.

"I didn't see anything," replied Mom's voice.

"Neither did I," added Iggy, in fake seriousness. If I had been fully conscious, I would have rolled my eyes. I probably would have some sardonic comment as well.

Ella sighed at Iggy, then protested "But I saw something!"

I tried to open my eyes again. Again, my eyelids fluttered, but didn't open fully.

Ella gasped. "I just saw them move again!"

"Maybe it was the light," replied Mom kindly.

With a colossal effort, I pried my eyes open. "No, she was right," I croaked.

Squeals erupted everywhere around me, the loudest belonging to Rose. "Mommy!" she cried, and jumped on the bed next to me. I gasped in pain and squeezed my eyes shut as the movement jostled my leg. I had to press my lips together to suppress a scream.

"Max?" asked Mom, her hand on my arm.

"I'm fine," I spat through my teeth. "My leg just moved slightly."

"Speaking of which, should we do the transfusion?" asked Iggy.

"Oh, yes," replied Mom. "Iggy, I'll go get my equipment, then we can do it."

Now to accomplish my goal of hearing the last voice I needed. "Angel?" I croaked as Mom left the room. "Where's Fang?"

Even without Iggy's new power, I could sense the atmosphere change. Everyone tensed up except for Rose, since she was too young and naive to understand what we were talking about.

"He went out for a fly earlier. He left before you came back. He's still out there," Angel informed me.

My heart sank. "He doesn't know about my leg?"

"Nope," replied Angel.

"I can go look for him if you want, Max," replied Iggy with concern.

I couldn't help it. "Well, Ig, you can _try_, but looking for someone usually requires eyesight, and, in case you didn't know, you're _blind_, so..."

Iggy rolled his eyes. "Very funny, Max. But I can see where he went."

"You'll also have just donated blood, so I doubt you'll be in much of a condition to search..." My voice was cut off in the middle of the last word as a burst of pain shot up my leg. I clenched my teeth to stop myself from screaming. Mom just happened to come in at that moment, and of course she had to flip at the sight of her daughter in pain, even though she _knew_ that I had just been shot in the freakin' leg. I mean, she _probably_ saw the bullet hole and the gushing blood.

"Max! Oh, Max, what happened? Are you okay? Do you need something?" she fretted.

"Mom, CALM DOWN. A jolt of pain just went through my leg. Oh, yes, I'm okay, even though I got _shot_ in the _leg_ recently then passed out in the yard. And what I need is a blood transfusion, since my leg is still oozing my blood and has been for a long time." Sarcasm is just plain_awesome_.

Mom frowned, but it disappeared when another burst of pain shot up my leg. "Max!" she nearly screamed when I pressed my lips together, still letting out a whimper, and shut my eyes tightly.

I opened my mouth to answer her, but what came out was a low moan. "Ow," I whispered.

Mom seemed like she was going to hyperventilate, but Iggy grabbed her arm and distracted her. I guessed that he had sensed her stress with his power. "Mom, shouldn't you do the transfusion?" he asked.

"Oh, yes!" she cried. "I need to do it!" Mom got out her needles and other equipment. I may not have as much aichmophobia, or fear of needles, as when I was younger at the School, but I still cringed when Mom pulled them all out. Thankfully, no one noticed.

Iggy allowed Mom to take a pint and a half, which was probably more than I needed. Then again, I _had_ been bleeding for at least an hour. Maybe I did need that much. I hoped I didn't. The less blood I needed, the better. It meant that I was going to recover faster.

Mom came back over to me. When she was about to get ready to transfer the blood, another jolt of pain shot through my leg. This one was far too overpowering, and I shrieked in pain and passed out. The last thing I heard was Mom's terrified voice crying "Max!"

**Me: SHE IS NOT DEAD! I will not kill Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, Total, or anyone else. Speaking of Total, I've kinda ignored him in the story... Do you want him to come in?**

**Total: YES! PUT ME IN!**

**Me: Your vote doesn't count!**

**Angel: Does mine?**

**Me: No.**

**Angel: Aww...**


	20. Chapter 19

**Angel: So, Total, what do you want to do now?**

**Total: Umm, I want to go see Akila.**

**Me: You cannot pass!**

**Angel: What was that for?**

**Me: I don't know...I just felt like being Gandalf.**

**Total: Gandalf?**

**Me: YOU DON'T KNOW WHO GANDALF IS?**

**Total: No...**

**Me: I must tell you!**

**Total: Okay then...**

**Angel: Well, Winter's distracted for now, so I'll give you the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: JP just isn't phased by bribes...maybe threats work...**

I faintly heard voices around me. I recognized Iggy's and Mom's. There were other snippets of conversation that I didn't understand. Never did I hear Fang, the one voice I really wanted to hear.

"Mom, should I start looking for Fang?" Iggy asked.

"Alright. If I need more blood for Max, I'm sure one of the younger kids can donate some," Mom replied.

"Mom, do you think she'll be okay? I can't see her, but..." Iggy's voice cut off. "Oh, God," he whispered.

"What?" asked Mom, scared.

"Angel just showed me what Max looks like. How could she live through that?"

Was I dying? Was that why everything was so weird?

"She will, Iggy. It's just really bloody right now. Most of that is dried blood. When I stitch up the wound and wipe it off, it'll look much better."

"Is it possible for it to look worse?" Iggy murmured, low enough that I thought he was talking to himself. "I'm going to go get Fang," he announced in a normal voice.

"Why are you going to get me?" asked a voice. A voice I would go anywhere to hear. The most perfect voice in my universe. Fang's.

I burst into consciousness just as Fang entered the room. "Fang!" I gasped at the same time as he gasped "Max!"

Mom smiled and left the room, clearly expecting a touching and private scene between the two of us. I hoped she was right. Fang was looking at me with concern, which made me think I might be forgiven. But Iggy didn't leave, which let me know he wasn't feeling as optimistic. And he could feel Fang's emotions. If he was staying, it must mean there Fang's emotions weren't going to go for a forgiving scene. My hope evaporated as soon as it came, except a small, irrational sliver that protested against the rest of my mind.

"Max, what happened to you?" Fang asked.

"Um, yeah..." I laughed unconvincingly and nervously. "About that..."

"Yeah, Max," added Iggy. "What _did_ happen? All we know is you were going to leave..."

"WHAT!" Fang yelled. I laughed nervously again.

"Yeah, long story..."

"I've got time," Fang responded, too casually. I rolled my eyes. He had retreated back behind his emotionless mask.

"Well, that's true..."

"Max, is it painful for you to tell us?" Iggy asked. Finally. A lifeline.

"Yes," I gasped, clutching my only possible excuse. "It is."

"Well, it was painful to hear that Max had a son she never told us about. So, she told us a painful thing, I think it's only fair that we now hear something painful for her to say," Fang cut in. Oh, crap. He obviously hadn't forgiven me. The last, tiny sliver of hope disappeared almost immediately, and I felt my emotions truly plummet into despair.

"But it was painful for Max to tell us that too," countered Iggy. "You could hear her voice. You may not have my new power, but I'm sure you could still tell."

"So what if I could?" Fang retaliated. "I was still crushed. She..."

"_She_," I spat with as much venom as I was capable of, "is right here. Don't talk about me like I'm not."

Fang ignored me. "I can't trust her anymore."

Iggy narrowed his eyes at Fang. Okay, so technically he narrowed his eyes at Fang's eyebrows, but who cares. We all know Iggy's blind. Glaring at Fang's eyebrows was pretty darn close. "I believe," Iggy snarled dangerously, "Max asked you to not talk about her as if she wasn't here. Now, even if you don't want to respect your wife's wishes, I think you should do what Max told you to. So, kindly restate your sentence as if Max were in the room, _which she is_."

"I can't trust her anymore," Fang repeated, his eyes tightening the tiniest bit.

Iggy growled. "You say that one more time..." he threatened.

"I. Can't. Trust. Her. Anymore," Fang snarled in a low voice, his voice daring Iggy to react. Iggy slipped into an offensive position and narrowed his eyes.

"Hey, guys, don't..." I started.

"Max, no. If Fang's going to treat you like this, _someone_ should inform him of the error of his ways." By the inflection put on "someone," I guessed Iggy really wanted to beat Fang up for this. I was a little confused about that part. I mean, Iggy was with Nudge now, and Fang and I were married. Plus, Ig knew I could take care of myself. So why all this "I'll help you, Max" crap coming from him? He had never been like this before. Was I giving out "damsel in distress" vibes or something? Or did Iggy's new power just make him more, I don't know, _feeling_ than before?

"Ig, no. Don't beat up Fang. Just leave the two of us alone please."

"If you want," replied Iggy in disgust, straightening up and glaring at Fang. "But if you need to, I'll come in later to clean up the trash."

For Fang, that was the final straw. His eyes narrowed and he tensed as if ready to pounce on Iggy. "IGGY!" I shrieked as Fang launched himself into the air and flew at his brother.

**Me: FIGHT! Okay, Iggy is a bit OOC now too...there's a bit of Miggy that I didn't want, but can't get rid of. The Miggy ends soon, chapter 22 to be exact. And, as a random point, I'm updating every 6 reviews because I have found that there have been six reviews the last couple of chapters, so I'm guessing that there are six people that are really excited about this story.**

**Angel: It's a good thing you're ending the Miggy, because that would never happen.**

**Me: Shut it, Angel.**

**Total: So Gandalf is from The Lord of the Rings?**

**Me: Yup!**

**Total: Hmm...never seen the movies.**

**Me: YOU'VE NEVER SEEN THE MOVIES?**

**Total: Nope.**

**Me: TO THE DVD PLAYER! WE MUST WATCH THEM!**

**Total: Why not?**

**Angel: Review!**

**Total: Today was my turn!**

**Me: COME ON! TO MIDDLE EARTH!**

**Angel: Bye!**


	21. Chapter 20

**Me: Hey! We finished all 3 Lord of the Rings movies! And sorry for the delay; I didn't have internet yesterday and today I was at an Titanic exhibit with my family.**

**Angel: The movies were great! And next we're going to watch Harry Potter.**

**Me: These poor, underprivileged children have never seen them.**

**Total: Children?**

**Me: Okay, child and dog. I'm going to read them the books too!**

**Angel: Can we start the movie now?**

**Me: Sure! But first I'm going to give the readers the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Threats don't work either...**

Iggy turned around just in time for him to be facing Fang when he pounced. He punched Fang square in the jaw, which surprised me until I remembered that Iggy could now see glowing colors around people. Fang went with the flow of the punch and hit Iggy in the gut. Ig knew better than to bend over in pain, so instead he kicked Fang in the knee. I screamed the entire time.

Mom rushed in and saw the boys in a very serious looking fight on the floor. "Boys!" she yelled. "I will not allow my sons to act like this."

Fang got up with a look as cold as ice on his face. "Then you don't mean me," he said stiffly. "I'm not your son any more. I'm outta here."

"Fang?" I asked in shock. "Then you mean..."

"Goodbye, Max. Now you can be with Iggy, like you obviously want to," spat Fang as he ran out the door and flew into the night sky.

I was stunned. Fang had left me? It wasn't possible. I was hallucinating from blood loss._ It hadn't happened_. But the evidence was all around me...no. I couldn't believe that.

"Max?" asked Iggy. "I sense your doubt. I hate to say it, but Fang did leave. You're not hallucinating."

That was it: all it took for me to lose consciousness again, with a different kind of pain pulling me under.

* * *

_Max._

_Leave me alone!_ I tried to say, but it didn't come out.

_Max, you need to wake up._ This time, I recognized the Voice.

_No, Voice. This is too much._

_So you plan to die, Max?_ accused the Voice. _You would hurt your daughter like that? Your family?_

_You never show emotion..._ I thought, confused.

_Well, you're being an idiot!_ snapped the Voice. _Wake up, Max! Your family needs you!_

_They're not my responsibility! They have Mom!_ I snapped back.

_What about Rose? She's your _daughter_, Max. And what about her vision? Do you want the whitecoats to get her?_

_What? No, of course not!_

_Then wake up! Now, Max, I don't want to be violent, but I can give you back those headaches,_ the Voice threatened.

Even though it had been about six years since I had last been subject to one of my "brain explosions," I could still remember them in terrifying clarity. I thought I was going to die. I _wanted_ do die. There was no way I wanted to go through that again. But what if the Voice was bluffing?

_How do I know you're telling the truth? What if you're bluffing?_ I asked.

As an answer, the Voice gave me the tiniest hint of one of my headaches. It wasn't as bad as they had been, and it lasted only an instant._That wasn't too bad, Voice. I could deal with that._

The headache increased in intensity. _Still could deal,_ I thought to the Voice.

Suddenly, it was one of my old "brain explosions" that made me want to die._ I could deal,_ I bluffed.

I thought the headache couldn't get any worse. I thought the Voice would give up. But the headache increased in intensity. I knew I must be dead. I screamed, and the scream pushed me into consciousness.

"Max!" yelled Iggy from right next to me. "Mom, what's wrong with her?"

"I don't know!"

"My head is going to explode!" I screamed. "Ig, it's another headache!"

"What?" asked Mom. "What do you mean, another headache?"

"Max used to have headaches when she was first hearing the Voice. But she hasn't had one in years!"

"It's purposeful!" I shrieked. "The Voice is consciously doing this!"

"Why, Max? Why?"

"It wanted me to wake up!"

"Well, it succeeded."'

"Then why isn't my headache going away!" I screeched.

"I don't know, Max! You're the one with the Voice in your head!"

_I surrender!_ I thought frantically. _I surrender!_

The headache was gone as soon as it came. "It's gone," I sighed in relief.

"Good. Now Max, what happens next might be painful, so I'm going to sedate you."

"Fine by me, Mom. Just no Valium."

Mom chuckled. "No Valium," she agreed, then stuck an IV in my hand.

Almost immediately, I could feel the drowsiness trickling through my bloodstream. "Iggy?" I fought to say the word correctly.

"What, Max?"

"Stay with me."

"Okay."

"And Ig?" I mumbled.

"Yeah?"

"I only love you like a brother."

"I love you too, Max."

I drifted into unconsciousness quickly. But my last thought was slightly scary: Iggy hadn't said he loved me as a sister. He had just said he loved me too.

**Me: Sorry this is on the short side...I couldn't make it longer without ruining the next chapter. And see what I mean about the Miggy? But if I get rid of it, it ruins the chapters. Ugh... I was saving the Miggy for another story! I'll post the summary for that in the next chapter.**

**Angel: It's about...**

**Me: ANGEL! NOT YET!**

**Total: *watching the movie* Wow. This is awesome!**

**Angel: Yeah, it is!**

**Me: And we're only half-way done with the first one! 5 1/2 more to go! Then we can see the seventh when it comes out!**

**Angel: Yippie! Now review so Winter will be happy. She gets crabby when she doesn't get any reviews.**

**Me: I DO NOT!**

**Total: Yeah, you do.**

**Me: Ugh...**


	22. Chapter 21

**Total: Can I have more popcorn?**

**Angel: And can I have a drink?**

**Me: Guys, I'm trying to update The Choices in Life.**

**Total: Okay.**

**Angel: Sorry.**

**Me: Now, we're on to the X-Men movies. I'm letting Angel and Total read my Marvel comics after.**

**Angel: I'm really thirsty...**

**Total: And I really want more popcorn...**

**Me: Okay! I'll get you your popcorn!**

**Angel: And my drink?**

**Me: Whatever!**

**Total: Yay!**

**Angel: Thank you!**

**Me: Just let me put the chapter in first!**

**Disclaimer: Would JP make Fang act like this? I think not. I, however, would, and I ****_am_****.**

"The sedative is wearing off. She'll wake up soon." Mom's words broke through the dams around my mind, keeping me asleep.

"Good," replied Iggy. "She's been sleeping for a long time."

"Iggy, you've been ignoring Nudge. I think she's hurt by that. The two of you kissed and seemed so close. Now it's as if she doesn't exist."

"But Mom, Max is hurt _badly_, as you well know. I can't just leave my sister here, maybe dying, and be with Nudge."

"You love each other, Iggy! She's torn up about this too!"

"She has Angel and Gazzy and Total and Rose to help her! Who does Max have, now that Fang deserted her?"

"She has me." Mom's voice was sharp as ice.

"No offense, Mom, but you're not a flock member."

"That's my daughter lying there!"

"And my sister!"

"Is that really how you think of her?" There was silence from Ig. "She loves Fang. You need to accept that."

"He doesn't deserve her."

"And you do?" Mom snapped. "You're with Nudge now, or are you just using her? I think Max deserves a boy who will always be there for her."

"I am always there for her!" Iggy interrupted.

"AND," Mom continued as if Iggy hadn't said anything, "loves her as a girlfriend _and only her_."

"That's because you're her mom," Ig protested. "And with the way Fang's been acting, you can't possibly want him with her."

"Maybe I don't," Mom hissed. "But I don't want you with her either. Neither of you deserve her."

"But what if it would make her happy?"

"Make her happy?" Mom asked incredulously, sounding really mad. "Make her _happy_? Iggy, that would hurt Nudge. I don't think anything that would hurt Nudge would make Max happy."

"She's right," I murmured. "Ig, I don't feel that way about you."

"Max! You're awake!" Mom cried.

"Yup," I whispered. "Still feel like crap, but I'm awake."

"Max, did you hear all that?" Ig asked, his voice slightly anxious.

"Yeah, Ig. And I don't feel that way about you."

"You never gave me a chance," replied Iggy bitterly. My heart broke to hear the sadness in his voice. "All you ever wanted was Fang. Well, now he's gone, just like he's left you a bunch of other times. Maybe you should get with someone who won't break your heart every other day."

"But Ig, Fang loves me."

"Really? It doesn't seem like it. If he really loves you, would he keep breaking your heart all the time?"

"He hasn't broken my heart!" I protested.

"What about when the flock split up?" I couldn't help it. I winced. "Red Haired Wonder? Brigid? All the other girls he flirted with? Just now? He broke your heart, Max. I wouldn't do that."

"Iggy..."

"Just know you have another choice if you get tired of all that self-torture."

"Ig..." I started, but then Iggy walked out of the room.

I am such a terrible person. Fang was perfect, and now I've ruined him. Iggy was like my brother, and now he's ruined by me too. I am so horrible. Why does anybody still like me? Why would anyone want to be near me?

_You're not terrible, Max,_ echoed Angel's voice in my head. _Fang just needs time to think, and Iggy's just confused._

_But that's all my fault!_ I protested.

_No it's not, Max!_ Angel replied. _Fang will come back, and Iggy still loves you. He's just not sure how yet._

_What if he decides he likes me as a girlfriend? I don't feel that way about him! I don't want to break his heart!_

_He doesn't, Max! He just loves you as a sister!_

_How do you know!_ I mentally screamed. I then composed myself, knowing that behavior was inexcusable. _What if he doesn't? And what if Fang doesn't come back?_

_It'll all work out, Max._

I mentally sighed. _I know, Angel. I just want to be alone now. Can you go?_

_Okay. Bye, Max._

Then she was gone, and I was alone. Completely alone. And I cried. I, the great Maximum Ride, cried myself to sleep.

**Me: Sorry this was a bit short! However, the Miggy's gone next chapter, thankfully. I really want it gone! But I do have an idea for a Miggy story, however. It would have some Fudge in it too. I haven't started it yet, but I have a summary. I'll post it here and you can tell me whether or not you would read it. If no one would read it, I won't bother writing it. I was thinking of calling it ****_Picking Up The Pieces._**

**_Max and Fang. Iggy and Nudge. Two great couples that seem like they will last forever. But when they break up, and Max and Iggy realize they're destined for each other, who's left to pick up the pieces? Miggy and Fudge._**

**Would any of you read that? I have another idea, but I'll put the summary for that in the next chapter.**

**Angel: I would read it!**

**Me: Thank you, Angel.**

**Total: Well, I want to get the next movie out and watch it!**

**Angel: I second that!**

**Me: Okay!**

**Total: Review! And read Winter's new story, Indigo!**

**Me: Also, read BlackAthena's story Downfall. She said she'd boost popularity for this story if I helped her boost popularity for Downfall, so...READ IT!**


	23. Chapter 22

**Me: This one is nice and long for you guys! And I have another potential summary at the bottom.**

**Angel: It sounds really good.**

**Total: I agree.**

**Me: Aw, thanks, guys!**

**Total: Now can we watch Star Trek: The Next Generation? I wanna watch the next episode!**

**Me: Okay! Yes, I got Angel and Total into Star Trek. What? It's awesome! Especially The Next Generation. Kirk is cool, but I like Picard better. And Data (aka Brent Spiner) and Wesley Crusher (aka Wil Wheaton) are****_ very_**** yum...**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own.**

It had been a few days since Fang left. My leg was fully healed, but Fang wasn't back yet. We were all worried, but now one wanted to show it. Rose didn't know what happened, she just knew that her dad had left for a while. No one wanted to tell her what actually happened. No one wanted to tell her what Fang said before he left. Iggy had gone back to Nudge, and I think he got the hint that I don't like him as anything more than a brother. I was glad I didn't need to break his heart. Now the only heart in pain was mine.

Angel swore Fang would come back. She said he just needed time. But it had been almost three days! It was getting hard to keep the true reason for Fang's disappearance from Rose. She was scared, and with good reason. Her dad had disappeared, and I was practically a zombie.

My poor baby didn't know everything, though. She didn't know that I cried myself to sleep every night. I may be Maximum Ride, the girl, well, woman now, who beats up Erasers and makes hardened criminals call for their mommies. But I guess that when it came to love, I was just a big sissy.

Although having your heart ripped to shreds by someone you thought loved you tends break people.

Everyone tried to help me. But I pushed them out. I was acting lifeless, but I couldn't help it. When a person is betrayed by who they thought was their true love, do you expect them to get up, act the same, and be exactly the same as they were before? No. I didn't think so. It was stupid to think I could be normal after this. And I wasn't.

I didn't go in my bedroom anymore. It reminded me too much of Fang. I slept on the couch instead. Rose got my room. I didn't go on the computer. The homepage was Fang's Blog, and I really didn't want to see that. Not now, at least. I couldn't. I ate less than normal, and almost always ate alone. I didn't think about food, and I was normally away from people now. The only person I was near normally was Rose, and occasionally Angel or Iggy. Now that Iggy and I had gotten over the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing, we were as close as siblings again.

I had always thought of Iggy as a brother. Fang was more of a friend, and the little ones were more of children, especially Angel. I had taken care of all of them since they were little, so they weren't exactly like siblings to me. Iggy and Fang, on the other hand, were about as old as me, so I was just a baby when I met them. Fang was always a friend, never really a brother, but Iggy was always my little brother. He hated it when I called him that, but it was true. I had never loved him like I loved Fang.

The good thing about Ig was that he loved me back in the way I loved him. I wasn't sure Fang loved me back anymore. In fact, I was almost positive he didn't. If he loved me like I loved him, as a soul mate, he wouldn't leave me like this. And if anyone gives me any New Moon crap, I will kill them. I don't care if Edward left Bella to protect her. Fang doesn't need to protect me, and he knows it. If he doesn't, he obviously doesn't know me very well.

Anyway, apparently today Angel and Nudge weren't going to let me do my own thing. They were dragging me to the park. Oh, joy. Note the_sarcasm_. The last thing I wanted was to go to the park. There would be lots of happy, loving couples there. I would hurl. The worst thing was that one of the couples would be with me the entire time. Iggy and Nudge seemed to be making up for lost time by kissing every spare minute. I could be in the same room as Iggy. I could be in the same room as Nudge. But both of them together? Forget it. No way.

And the park would be full of other happy couples! I really wanted to wriggle out of it, but Angel wouldn't allow that. Apparently, I needed to get out of my room. I didn't think that, but she did. So the park was where that would happen. Yippie. Again, note the sarcasm.

But the park probably wouldn't even be the worst thing. The car ride would be worse. Iggy would be begging to drive, even though he doesn't have a license and is also _blind_. Gazzy would sing random songs that sounded just like the original singer. Sadly, "Constipated" by Weird Al Yankovic was still his favorite song. Nudge would blab on non-stop. Angel would try to mind-control people to do what she wanted, like giving her the window seat. Rose would probably be good. She's such a sweet girl. Ella wasn't going; she had finals to study for. Apparently, the tests at the end of senior year were really important. But still, the ride would be terrible. Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, Rose, and I in all in a mini-van. Kill me now. And I was driving, so I would have to try my hardest to ignore what was going on around me. And I didn't even _want_ to go to the park. It was so unfair!

_Life isn't fair, Max, _said the Voice.

_Oh, hello, Voice! I hoped – er, thought – you were gone!_ I thought back.

_Max, you are a vitally important person. You need to be fighting your hardest, not whining about how life is unfair. You have a mission._

_Don't tell me!_ I responded. _Let me guess! I think I have to...save the world!_

_This is no laughing matter! _snarled the Voice, exasperated. _The world needs you! The real, committed you, not a little girl whining over a break-up!_

_Well, I'm sorry! _I snapped back. _I'm not a little girl whining over a break-up! I'm a woman who was just abandoned by her husband!_

_Well, Max, I guess you just have to deal!_

I simply snarled in my head and tuned the Voice out. I thought I heard a sigh in my head, and then the Voice was gone.

"Come on, Max!" cried Angel. "We're all ready!"

Time to drive a teen couple who seem to have never heard of "too much PDA," a 13 year old boy with the same maturity levels he had at eight, a mind-controlling 12 year old, and a sweet little girl, all in one van. God, have mercy on my soul.

* * *

I survived the ride!

I know, I'm surprised too. Now I'm just at couple central – a.k.a. the park. Yippie. Couldn't someone have just shot me before the car ride so I wouldn't have to go through this? Or maybe someone did and this is hell! Yeah, that would make sense. _It's that bad_.

I was sitting on a park bench. Rose and Angel were playing together on the swing set. I knew Angel was a little old for that, but she put up with it for Rose. It was so sweet I felt like I was going to cry. Gazzy had apparently met a girl. They were talking together, sitting on a park bench a while away from me. Ah, young love. I was going to freaking puke!

A blonde girl walked up to Iggy, apparently not taking notice of the fact that he had just kissed Nudge good-bye as she went over to get a drink. The girl wore a mini-skirt that showed _way_ more than it covered. Her top had a V-neck that plunged _way _lower than it should have. I was sorry to say it, but it was true. The girl was a slut.

"Hey," she murmured seductively, placing a hand on Iggy's arm. Ig jumped, then turned to face her.

"Who are you?" Iggy asked.

"I'm your dream come true," she whispered in a seductive voice, tracing one finger down Iggy's muscular arm.

"Um..."

"Hey, babe, wanna go to a movie but not watch it?" she asked.

I almost laughed, but that might tip her off that something was wrong. That was the worst pick-up line _ever_, especially to use on Ig.

"Is that supposed to be a sexual joke?" Iggy asked.

"Only if you want it to be, hottie."

"I'm blind..." Iggy clarified.

"Oh," replied the girl, realizing why her normal techniques weren't working. Swinging her hips and not covering _anything_ doesn't work if your prey can't see you.

"And I'm already with someone," Ig added.

"That doesn't matter," she whispered. "Come with me. She'll never know."

"Actually, I kinda would," Nudge cut in, grabbing Iggy's hand.

Iggy smirked, then kissed Nudge gently on her lips. "So, sorry," he said to the girl, who was frozen in place with her seductive smile still on her lips.

The girl huffed, then strutted off to go prey on some other unsuspecting boy in the park. I watched her go. She bumped into a tall, black-haired man wearing a windbreaker. I saw her open her mouth to start trying to seduce him, but he walked away. I saw a flash of his olive skin before he turned a corner and was out of sight.

I started to run. I knew it was irrational, but he looked like Fang. The right age, the right height, the right skin tone, the right hair...he was even wearing a windbreaker. We all wore windbreakers all the time to cover our wings. Even Rose had a little one.

I was catching up to the mysterious man. I reached out, and my fingers skimmed his jacket. He turned and gasped.

"Max?" he asked incredulously.

"_Fang?_"

**Me: Okay, I don't know if anyone else did, but I loved the girl trying to hit on Iggy! So funny...**

**Angel: I agree. Now, tell them the summary!**

**Me: Okay. I was thinking of maybe calling it ****_Which Life?_****, but I'm not sure. Here's the summary! Again, it's not started, and if no one would read it, then I won't write it.**

**_Mary Cole has lead a perfectly normal life. Until one day. She wakes up in a hospital room with five kids around her and learns the truth. She is Maximum Ride. Or is she? Which life is the real one? Fax, of course!_**

**Would any of you read that?**

**Total: And she is met with a resounding yes, correct?**

**Angel: So review to make Winter happy!**

**Me: Happier than a shirtless Iggy...**

**Angel: Oh, I've seen that. *shudder* There's not much there.**

**Me: ANGEL! How could you say that?**

**Angel: Want me to show you?**

**Me: YES!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Me: This chapter has a major plot twist at the bottom! I believe I warned you about it...**

**Angel: In chapter 17.**

**Me: Ah, yes. The reason for Fang's behavior is revealed!**

**Angel: Yup! It's because...**

**Me: ANGEL! DON'T TELL!**

**Total: Why are you two yelling at each other?**

**Me: We're updating The Choices in Life, and Angel wants to spoil the chapter.**

**Total: Well, then, put the chapter in so she can't! And then we can watch the next Star Trek! It's called "Sins of the Father"...is that WORF?**

**Me: Yes, Total. That is. And posting is a good idea! Now, here's the chapter! But the next one may not be up for a while, since I need to slow down. I'm posting too fast! I don't think I have enough chapters written to post them this fast!**

**Total: What did Worf's dad do?**

**Me: Watch and see!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride...but I do own a copy of each of the books, including the mangas...**

"Oh, God, Max," Fang sighed, wrapping his long arms around me. "I'm so sorry. I never should have left. Do you think anyone can forgive me? I was so terrible. I don't deserve to be forgiven. But I'd do anything to win back your trust..."

I gave Fang a cautious look, which was hard, since I was trapped in his embrace. "Are you channeling Nudge?" I demanded.

Fang looked at me, then started laughing. I couldn't help it. I laughed too.

"Oh, Max," Fang whispered, burrowing his face into my hair. "I missed you so much."

"So did I, Fang," I whispered. I pulled away slightly, and Fang looked at me with terror in his eyes. "What?" I asked innocently. "I just wanted to do this." I went up on tip-toe and pressed a kiss on Fang's lips. Fang responded with passion. God, I had forgotten how heavenly this was. I kissed Fang for as long as possible, trying to make up for lost time. When he pulled away for air, I simply moved the kiss over to his cheek. Then Fang put a finger under my chin and pulled my lips of him. I looked up at him, my eyes wide and scared. He smiled, then kissed my lips again. I melted onto him, kissing everywhere I could. I missed him so much. It was all I could do not to rip of his clothes right here. But I had to wait until tonight. I pouted at the thought, and Fang's face immediately saddened too.

"What is it, darling?" he asked.

A thrill went through me when he said "darling." "I just can't wait until tonight..." I said in a low voice, my voice full of implications.

Fang grinned. "Neither can I."

"Max?" I heard someone yell. Nudge. Why was she yelling? "MAX!"

"NUDGE! I'm right here! Now stop yelling!" I snapped back.

"Oh, well, sorry Max, but you've been gone for a while, and Angel couldn't hear your thoughts, and...OMG! IS THAT FANG?"

"The one and only," Fang quipped.

Nudge's eyes widened. But instead of hugging him or blabbing on a million miles a minute, she slapped his face.

My face was probably a mirror image of Fang's mask of shock.

"YOU...YOU..." Apparently, Nudge didn't know what Fang was. "Actually, no word could describe you well enough. There is no word horrible enough to describe a HUSBAND who runs away from his wife WHEN SHE NEEDS HIM THE MOST, and then COMES BACK LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED!"

I was sure my mouth was somewhere on the floor. What was wrong with Nudge?

I heard footsteps and turned to see Iggy running towards us. "Nudge? What is it? I heard you yelling."

"It's _Fang_," Nudge spit out, saying Fang's name like it was a swear. "He has the nerve to come back here."

Iggy's face hardened. "So, you didn't get enough of a kick breaking Max's heart before? You're here to break it again?"

"What...No, Ig! I came back because I love her!"

I had to say, I was beginning to see Nudge and Iggy's point. Why was Fang back? And if he had been here, why hadn't he gone back to the house?

"Fang, then why didn't you come back earlier?" I asked.

Fang looked at me with incredulous eyes. "You're going with them?"

"They did make some good points," I admitted.

"Yeah, we did!" Iggy responded. "And that useless idiot had better answer us!"

I had to admit, Iggy's insult was good. And it seemed to hit Fang hard. "What do you mean, 'useless idiot'?" Fang snarled.

"Fang..." I put a hand on Fang's chest. "Please." I looked up at him, my eyes wide and innocent. Fang heaved a sigh but uncurled his fists and took a step back.

"Only because you want it, Max," Fang spat. "If it was anyone else, Iggy wouldn't live to see the day."

Nudge's eyes widened in fear as she stepped in front of Iggy. "Oh, Ig," Fang taunted. "You need your girlfriend to protect you?"

"No," Iggy growled. "Nudge, move."

Nudge held her ground between the two murderous men. I took a step back and put my hand back on Fang's chest. I knew it wasn't much to hold him back with, but I hoped he wouldn't risk hurting me.

"Oh, Iggy," Fang started in a deceptively calm voice. "Your girlfriend is so loyal. I wonder how she would feel if she knew how shallow your loyalty to her is..."

"What do you mean?" Nudge asked.

"Well, Iggy and Max, of course," Fang replied.

"What?"

"Oh, you mean Iggy didn't tell you?" Fang asked. "He didn't tell you he had a crush on Max?"

Nudge's face turned pale. "Iggy, say it isn't true." Iggy didn't answer. "It is true?" Nudge gasped. She burst into tears. I ran over to her to comfort her, wrapping my arms around her shaking shoulders. "Please tell me nothing happened, Max," she whispered, her tear-stained face looking up at me.

"Nothing happened," I whispered. "I didn't love him back, sweetie," I added, then looked at Fang with murder in my eyes. "Why did you do that?" I demanded. "Why, Fang! That isn't like you!"

Fang glared at me. "No, it isn't. But there's a reason for it. I'm not Fang. I'm superior to him in every way. I'm his clone."

**Me: PLOT TWIST ALERT!**

**Angel: Yuppers.**

**Total: Worf accepted discomendation! WHY? It was all Duras!**

**Me: To save the Klingon Empire.**

**Total: BUT WHY!**

**Me: HE BECOMES A KLINGON AGAIN IN THE END OF THIS SEASON!**

**Total: Then lets watch it!**

**Me: OKAY! Now, lets shut up and let the readers review!**

**Total: Okay! Review, little readers!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Me: What did you think?**

**Angel: Winter, I think they want the chapter.**

**Me: Oh, whatever. TOTAL IS IN THIS ONE!**

**Total: But I would rather never be in the story than for this to happen! Can't you just put me in as a HAPPY dog? Maybe watching Star Trek?**

**Me: Oh, shut it, Total, you Trekkie. You wanted to be in the story, and this is how I'm putting you in. Beggars can't be choosers.**

**Total: *pout***

**Disclaimer: Hmm...for the last 24 chapters, I haven't owned Maximum Ride. Does anyone here think I do now?**

My jaw dropped. "You mean, on my honeymoon..."

The Fang clone smirked. "No. When Fang went on a fly after you told him about your dear son, he was kidnapped by Mr. Chu. He replaced him with me. I'm far superior."

"They said my clone was too!" I spat. "But I still was able to kick her butt in a fight!"

"She was not," said Fang 2 dismissively. "But I am."

A grin began to creep over my face. "You're superior to Fang?" I asked.

"Yes, I already told you that."

My grin became a full smirk. "Well, so am I. I'm far superior to Fang in many ways. Including...fighting."

Fang 2 gulped. "I will defeat you!"

I snorted. "Yeah, right. Of course you will. But maybe, when the entire flock helps me..."

Angel, Gazzy, and Rose popped out of the bushes behind us at that exact moment. Whoa. I was _so _not expecting that. But I should act as if I was.

"You see, _clone_," I spat. "We will, to put it simply, kick your butt."

"You can try," answered Fang 2 with a slight quiver in his voice. "But you will..."

"_Succeed_," interrupted Angel, a dangerous look in her eyes. "You cannot beat us, you fake."

Fang 2 gulped. "Um..." His fists curled, and he took a threatening step towards me. "But I believe I can kill this one _female_," he spat. I narrowed my eyes in amazement.

"Get him," I hissed.

"Gladly," Iggy growled, pouncing on the Fang clone.

Fang 2 was senseless on the ground when I finally intervened. "Stop."

Iggy looked up at me with eyes past all reason. "IGGY!" I shrieked as he began to attempt to kill Fang 2 again. "ANGEL, MIND CONTROL HIM!"

Angel's brow furrowed in concentration, and Iggy's murder-filled eyes grew blank as he got up and walked away. It was kinda freaky, actually.

"Angel, convince him that killing Fang 2 is a bad idea."

"He wants to know why," Angel told me.

"We don't kill."

"Iggy says that if someone interferes with his relationship with his girlfriend, he will kill them."

"Tell Iggy this is not a democracy! It's a Maxocracy!" I snapped. "I am in charge, and I say that Iggy won't kill anyone."

"Oh, no!" Angel whispered.

"What?"

"He's breaking loose!"

"What do you mean?"

"She means," snarled Iggy, "that I'm not under her mind control any more."

"Iggy, you can't kill the Fang clone."

Iggy sighed. "I understand. But what can we do? We can't just leave him here!"

I contemplated this for a moment, then came to a decision. "We'll take him back. We'll tell Mom about him, then we can figure out where he cam from and where Fang and Jonathon are being held."

Iggy nodded and scooped Fang 2 up in his arms. I followed with the rest of the flock behind me. We put the clone in the trunk of the car, and I slid into the drivers seat with Iggy in the passenger seat next to me. Angel and Rose sat in the next row, and Nudge and Gazzy sat in the back.

Iggy had his eyes closed and his head in his hands. I guessed he regretted even _thinking_ of killing Fang 2, and now was beating himself up about it inside. Poor guy. But we all snap sometimes. I guess that was his breaking point.

As we pulled in the driveway, Ella ran out. Her smile faded and her eyes grew wide when Iggy pulled the unconscious Fang clone from the trunk.

"What happened to Fang?" Ella gasped. "And why is he in the trunk?"

"That isn't Fang," I explained. "It's a clone of him."

Ella's jaw dropped. "What?"

"There was a clone of me too, but my guess is she's dead by now. The Fang clone was going to kill me, so Iggy stepped in and..."

"Beat the crap out of him," Ella supplied.

I had to smile. "Yup."

Then a little, furry body darted out from the house. "Total?" I gasped.

There were tear tracks all down Total's dark face. "What is it, Total?" I asked. He didn't say anything.

"TOTAL!" I yelled. He still didn't do anything. I scooped him up in my arms and began to pet him.

"Do you know what happened?" I asked Ella.

"No," she replied. "A few minutes after you left, he landed on the front lawn. He wouldn't say anything."

Angel came up to me. "Total, are you okay?" she asked.

"Why would I be okay?" Total croaked back.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" I asked.

"He has Akila, Max," Total moaned.

"Who?" I asked, even though I had a sinking feeling I knew who "he" was.

"Mr. Chu. He has Akila. My wife."

**Me: THEY GOT MARRIED!**

**Total: THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY WHEN YOU HAD MR. CHU KIDNAP AKILA!**

**Me: Yupples.**

**Total: Why you little...**

**Angel: This is amusing and all, but I don't think any of you care. So, REVIEW!**


	26. Chapter 25

**Me: Hey.**

**Angel: We're bored.**

**Total: So we're updating. I think we should watch Star Trek, but according to Winter's mom, we've watched enough TV for the day.**

**Me: ...On a completely random note, this chapter is exactly 900 words, not including the author's note.**

**Angel: ONWARD!**

**Disclaimer: No ownage here.**

I looked at Total in surprise. Was Mr. Chu going to abduct _everyone_ we love?

"Max?" Nudge whispered.

"He has Fang too," I told Total brokenly. "And...my son."

A spark of life went into Total's eyes. "Son? You and Fang had _kids_? You just got married, for goodness sake! How on earth did that happen? Were you already pregnant when you got married? You would have had to be almost nine months! That would really show."

"Fang and I have one kid. A daughter," I clarified. "_Really_ quick pregnancy; don't ask."

"Then how do you have a son?"

Did I have to tell someone else that? It hurt so much to talk about it...

"Mr. Chu raped her about 3 years ago," Angel explained. Guess not.

"Thanks, sweetie!" I thought.

"You're welcome, Max!" she replied, beaming. "And can you call my new friend Chris for me? He's really nice. I really like him. He likes me too. He was thinking about going out with me."

"Sure, hon..." She was growing up way to fast. I went back to reality to see Total with a disbelieving look on his face. "It's true."

Total's jaw dropped. "So, now Mr. Chu has your husband, your son, and my wife?" he summarized.

"And he wants my daughter," I added.

"But I know Mommy will protect me," Rose added, coming up behind me.

Total's jaw went even lower. "This is your daughter?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah," I answered.

"But...but...she looks about..."

"Two?" I supplied.

"Yeah!"

"She's looked that way since she was born," I informed Total.

"Which was?"

"Six days ago."

Total gaped at Rose. "Six days? She looks about two years old!"

"You already said that," I stated. "The pregnancy took a few days, then when I gave birth to her, she looked just like that."

I wondered if Total's jaw would ever close, or if it was stuck there. It was _really_ low. I didn't know a jaw could go that low without serious pain... But apparently, it can. Maybe just for dogs, I don't know.

"What are we going to do?" asked Iggy. There was silence. I cleared my throat. Everyone looked at me.

"Well, I sorta know where Mr. Chu's headquarters are..." I started awkwardly.

There was pandemonium. Everyone was talking at once. "Where?" "How long?" "How?" "Is that where you went before?" "Let's go!"

"OKAY!" I yelled. "It's on Shackle Island, or Isla de grillo, off the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico; I've known for about two months; Jeb told me; that was where I went before and got shot in the leg, I'll explain later, Total; and we will go once we have a plan."

That silenced everyone. I felt a bit triumphant that I had answered all of the questions in one breath. I was almost as good as Nudge!

"How are we going to make a plan? We need to know what it's like inside," Iggy said.

I grinned. "Good thing we have Fang 2 here then."

A slow smile spread across Iggy's face as well. "An inside informant."

"Exactly."

"Um, excuse me, but WHAT?" Mom asked, coming outside. "Who is Fang 2, and why is Fang unconscious?"

"Um, long story. Fang 2 is a clone of Fang. The unconscious Fang you see is the clone. He attacked me in the park and Iggy beat him up. It was he that was here after I got shot, not the real Fang."

"So let me get this straight," Mom started, looking at me quizzically. "That is a clone of Fang who attacked you."

"Yup."

"And what is Total doing here?" Mom asked. "He just showed up and wouldn't say anything."

"Mr. Chu kidnapped Akila. Total came to us in the hopes that we would help get her back," I told her.

"And we will," added Angel. "We need to get Jonathon and Fang back anyway, so we might as well get Akila too."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Ella asked. "If you got shot before, how do you plan on going undetected this time?"

"Well, first we'll need bombs. Iggy, Gazzy, get to work." I never thought I would say that, but Iggy and Gazzy looked like kids in a candy store. They ran into the house and began to take apart something, probably the radio, to make a bomb. "Second, I need you to go through Fang 2's mind, Angel. Get any information that you can from him." Angel nodded. She and Nudge began to carry Fang 2 inside where Angel could probe his mind more easily. "Mom, just be ready for us to come back injured. I'll go and pack food. I don't know how long we'll be."

Mom nodded and went inside to put together a first-aid kit for us to take with us. I went into the kitchen and grabbed some granola bars and water bottles. I shoved them in a backpack, then continued to raid the kitchen. After a few minutes, I was ready.

_Fang, we are on our way. I will come for you._

**Me: So.**

**Angel: So.**

**Total: So.**

**Me: I have a Fictionpress account now! Plus one story!**

**Total: Congrats.**

**Angel: Review this, and then go to Winter's Fictionpress account! Her username is the same there as it is here.**


	27. Chapter 26

**Me: I'm BACK!**

**Angel: No need to say it that loud! You nearly blew out my eardrum!**

**Me: *sticks tongue out at Angel* I'm so sorry I haven't updated in such a long time! I thought I updated this...but I guess I didn't.**

**Total: Well, I still don't understand why we can't watch Star Trek and not do this!**

**Me: ...You are way to obsessed.**

**Angel: Seconded.**

**Me: Well...um...OFF TO RESCUE FANG, AKILA, AND JONATHAN!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR, but I have kidnapped Angel and Total!**

"Do we have everything we need?" I yelled. A chorus of yeses responded. "Then let's go!" I yelled.

In synchronized order, Angel, Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, Fang 2 and I all flew into the air. Rose and Total were staying with Mom. Fang 2 was being mind-controlled by Angel. We were going to rescue Fang, Akila, and Jonathan.

It took us a short amount of time to get to Isla de grillo. It was way longer than it took me with my super-speed, but not a bad time either.

It was time to start our plan. "Angel!" I yelled. "Start the plan!"

Angel concentrated, then Fang 2 was flying in front of us. "I captured the flock!" he yelled.

I snorted softly. Yeah, right.

"Great job!" yelled the man at the guard tower. "Bring them in!"

Angel looked exhausted. "Gazzy," I whispered. "Bring Angel down outside the building, close enough so she can talk to us telepathically, but far enough away she won't be attacked. Then come back."

"Sure, Max," Gazzy replied and helped his sister down. I watched as they flew down. Fang 2 flew in front of us, "leading" us in. The plan was going without a hitch so far!

The guardsman looked at us as we flew in. Instantly, we all pretended that our hands were bound. He looked convinced.

"Good job," he yelled to Fang 2. Then he was knocked out by Gazzy swiftly and silently as he flew back.

"Great job, Gaz!" I cheered quietly. He blushed.

"Thanks!" he replied in a whisper. "When do we get to blow this place up?"

I rolled my eyes. "Once we get everyone out," I hissed back.

Gazzy sighed softly. "But I wanna use my new bomb!" he whined. Iggy shushed him, saying quietly they would use it later. Gaz immediately brightened.

I led the flock into the compound. I did one of my famous snap decisions and brought them to the lowest level. Sure enough, Fang and Akila were there. Jonathan wasn't.

I grabbed Fang at the same time that he grabbed me. We kissed for as long as we could. We would have a touching reunion later. Tonight, maybe. I smiled at the thought. But Jonathan wasn't there. I looked around, just to make sure.

"Fang, where's Jonathan?" I asked. "Have you met him?"

"Jonathan has a spot upstairs. I have met him, and he is a great little kid. He definitely got your stubborn streak," Fang teased. His voice was hoarse and he had a healing bruise on his face.

"Fang, what did he do to you?" I whispered. "Where else are you hurt?"

"Nowhere," Fang lied.

"Fang," I said warningly. "Tell me."

Fang sighed. "Okay. A couple of ribs are broken, I'm bruised pretty much everywhere, and I think I might have a concussion."

A growl slipped out as Fang cataloged his injuries. Mr. Chu would pay for doing this to Fang.

"Max, hon, it's okay. I'm already healing. He didn't do that much."

"He broke your ribs, Fang! You're not _okay_." I realized I was snarling, but I couldn't stop it. "I will kill him!"

"Max," Iggy said cautiously. "You're not killing anyone. We don't kill."

I closed my eyes to calm myself. Fang was okay. Everything would be fine.

I opened my eyes slowly. "Let's go get Jonathan. Iggy, you lead Akila. Here's a rope to use as a collar and leash."

Iggy leaned down to make the collar. The rope was long enough to be the length of a normal leash. Akila followed Ig dutifully. Now, to find Jonathan.

But what about Jeb? He was probably here. Of course, he had betrayed us, but I think Mom might welcome him back. I wouldn't, and the flock probably wouldn't either, but Mom might want him back. I don't know. Love did funny things to people. She loved him, no matter what he did. Just like I would always love Fang.

Love was _way_ too overpowering. It clouded the senses and got rid of good judgment. But without it, life was only half as good as it could be.

"Let's go get Jonathan," I whispered.

"Okay," Fang murmured back. Then a scream ripped through the air. The scream of a child.

"What was that?" Iggy asked.

"A child's scream...Jonathan!" I gasped. I ran as fast as I could upstairs to the source of the scream and saw something I never wanted to see again.

My little baby boy was strapped to an operating table. He was screaming. The scientists were leaning over him, doing something; I couldn't tell what it was. Then one of them turned around to face me and the rest of the flock, who were all entering.

"Max." The voice unlocked carefully closed memories, bringing them to the front of my mind.

It was Jeb. And he was helping in the operation.

**Me: OOH! Is he evil?**

**Angel: You tell me! I have no idea! You keep changing your mind!**

**Total: She was asking the reviewers, not you.**

**Angel: Oh.**

**Me: Yeah, even ****_I _****don't really know. So tell me what you think, readers! And I have another summary for you!**

**Angel: Oh, joy. Pleas note ****_sarcasm_****.**

**Me: *sticks tongue out at Angel AGAIN* So, here's the new summary. Title: ****_Love is Blind_****.**

**_Jenna never expected to find love in her school. Iggy didn't think he would find anything interesting in a school for the blind. But when the two are forced together by fate (and the school administrators), the outcome is something neither one could possibly imagine._**

**Angel: The ending sounds very cliché.**

**Me: That's what you're supposed to think! But I have a few plot twists up my sleeve!**

**Total: STAR TREK! STAR TREK! STAR TREK!**

**Me: Sigh. Okay. And go read my other MR story, Indigo! It feels unhappy and ignored...**


	28. Chapter 27

**Me: Now. Is Jeb evil or not?**

**Iggy: You still don't know? It's kinda pathetic you don't know what to do with your own story.**

**Me: *eye twitches* ...Read this while I go kill Iggy. And I have him because maxrideaddict97-10 (MRA) and I did a trade. But soon, I'll just have a corpse of Iggy, since I'm about to kill the ungrateful wretch.**

**Iggy: Oh, crap.**

**Disclaimer: I own Jonathan. I own Rose. I don't own anyone else, I think...hmm...there may be more OCs I don't remember...bet there are.**

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" I screamed at Jeb. If not for Fang and Iggy holding me back, I would have attacked him.

"Max, I'm on your side!" Jeb protested in a whisper. Yeah, right. And the moon was made out of cheese. I wasn't that gullible.

"LIKE HECK YOU ARE!" I screeched. "I TRUSTED YOU, YOU [insert swear word of your choice here]. AND NOW _THIS_?" Another tearful scream came from Jonathan. "GET AWAY FROM MY SON, YOU [insert swear word of your choice here]!" I screamed to the whitecoats. I ran forward, breaking Fang and Iggy's grips easily. Fang was too weak to get a good grip, and Iggy was trying to hold onto Akila as well as me. I punched the first whitecoat and he slumped, the needle falling out of his fingers. The next ones were all just as easy. Barely breathing hard, I undid the straps holding Jonathan to the table. I picked up my son, holding him close. "Shush, shush," I whispered. His tears slowly stopped.

"Who are you?" he whispered, looking at me with a heartbreaking expression. He had the sweetest little lisp! I just wanted to hold Jonathan close to stop anyone from ever hurting him again. I never wanted to let my baby boy go. I found myself sad that I hadn't been able to witness the first three years of my son growing up. I should have brought him to Mom, or done something. I shouldn't have left him to his father's mercy.

"I'm your mom, sweetheart," I whispered. I didn't know how that would go over. I wasn't sure if Mr. Chu had told him any lies about me. I hope he hadn't. I hoped Jonathan would love me. I didn't even really know Jonathan, but my mother's instincts were kicking in and I already wanted to protect him from anything I could.

A smile lit up Jonathan's tear-streaked face. I was so glad that he didn't hate me. I instantly felt terrible for leaving him with his father for years. My heart just about broke as I thought of what had happened to my little boy when I wasn't there. I instantly resolved never to leave him again. "You're...you're my mommy?"

"Yes, baby," I whispered, pressing him against my chest. Then I slowly turned to look at Jeb. Jonathan burrowed his head into my neck, hiding from Jeb.

That did it. If Jeb had done something to hurt my poor boy, I would rip his head off.

"I HATE YOU!" I screeched. "YOU DID THAT TO MY _SON_?" He had better answer, or I would just kill him.

Jeb looked shocked. "Jonathan is your _son_?"

"YES! And you better get your filthy hands away from him or I will KILL YOU!" I screamed. The liar. There was no way he didn't know I was Jonathan's mother. His brown eyes were just like mine. That really was the only similarity between us, but it should have been enough for Jeb to know who Jonathan was. He was my father, after all.

"I didn't know!" Jeb begged. "I promise not to do anything else to him."

Everyone went silent. Jeb might have just made a fatal mistake. "Anything _else_?" I said in a deceptively calm voice.

Jeb realized his mistake. "I meant anything, not anything _else_. I didn't mean the _else_ part," he backtracked quickly. Oh, yeah. Like I would believe anything else this jerk said.

_He's lying,_ Angel piped up in my head.

_Thanks, baby,_ I replied. _I guessed that._

"You [insert swear word of your choice here]," Fang snarled. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing!" Jeb squeaked. "Nothing at all!"

I took a few threatening steps forward. "What. Did. You. Do?" I asked, making each word a sentence. Jeb mumbled something unintelligible. "So we can hear it," I snarled.

"I experimented on his lungs," Jeb whispered.

"What did you do to them?"

"I just increased the amount of air he was able to take in! I swear!" Jeb protested.

"Jonathan, is he telling the truth?" I asked.

"Yes, Mommy," Jonathan whispered. "I can take really big breaths now!"

I smiled wryly, but it slid off my face as I turned to face Jeb. "You are_ so_ lucky I'm not in a murderous mood," I hissed. "I'll spare you."

Jeb's knees gave out in relief. "Thank you, Max!" he gasped as he almost fell to the floor.

"ONLY" I continued, "because it would hurt Mom if I killed you. But I doubt she'll be very happy about what you did."

Jeb gulped. "I know. And I'm willing to reverse the surgery, if possible."

"No," I stated. "I don't trust you not to hurt him more."

"You...you don't trust me?" Jeb asked haltingly. He didn't know that? Did I really seem stupid enough to trust him?

"Never really did, and, after this, never will," I answered. Idiot. He seriously thought I would trust him after I found out he experimented on my son?

"Then I assume you don't trust me either," came a voice from behind me. I knew that voice.

"Chu," I spat.

"The one and only."

**Iggy: Well, you should review now! And Winter...DON'T KILL ME!**

**Me: DIE, Iggy! DIE!**

**Iggy: If you review, she may not kill me.**

**Me: Oh! I have another summary! This one is different. It's a Twilight/MR crossover. If you haven't read Twilight, skip the following!**

**This one is different with Fax but also...wait for it...FISSA! Or Lang, if you prefer that. Anyway, for any people who can't figure that out, it's FANG/LISSA! Anyway, to the summary. No ideas on a name yet...you could give me suggestions.**

**_Lissa has been changed into a vampire by Carlisle Cullen. Now she wants revenge on the flock, especially Max. And she wants Fang. For keeps._**

**I know, short summary. But what do you think? Review please!**


	29. Chapter 28

**Me: Iggy's still alive.**

**Iggy: Thank goodness.**

**Me: *glares* But I'm still mad.**

**Iggy: ...Crap. Well, here's the chapter.**

**Me: I'M SUPPOSED TO DO THAT! *hits with belt* Yes, I hit Iggy with a belt. Saint hits Fang with a herring, Vera uses a minkle, so I use my belt.**

**Iggy: And it HURTS like HECK!**

**Me: That's the point, Ig.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'. And yes, I meant to do the double negative. I do own some things...like my copies of the books, and the plot, and Rose, and Jonathan... *goes on, but the rest is cut out so the story will appear sometime this chapter***

"You [insert swear word of your choice here]," I snarled. "He's your _son_? Do you have any _shred_ of decency?" That freakin' _scumbag_. No, actually, scumbag isn't bad enough. He deserves worse than any word in the English language. He had already done so much to make my life miserable, but I had a feeling in my gut that he was about to do something else to annoy me. Oh, crap.

"Of course not," Fang growled. "He's _Mr. Chu_. Do you expect him to have any decency?" Then again, Fang had a point. I didn't.

"Fang is right," Chu said placidly. "Decent people never get anywhere in life. So I do not have – how did you put it? Ah, yes – 'a shred of decency'."

My eyes narrowed and my vision was tinged with red. Had it not been for practically the entire flock holding me back and Jonathan in my arms, Mr. Chu would have been dead. That was what he was going to do to annoy the crap out of me. Or was it? Was he going to do something even worse? I wouldn't put it past him.

"Mommy?" asked Jonathan, sounding scared. I had scared my little boy. I immediately stepped back and the red faded from my vision. I calmed down, and the flock let go of me. They still stood around me, ready to grab me again if need be. "Are we going to leave?"

"Yes, hon," I replied. "We'll leave this _trash_ here."

A beatific smile lit up Jonathan's face. "Daddy's not coming?"

"No, baby. And he's not going to be your daddy anymore. Fang will be your daddy now." Fang stared at me. Oh, crap. Did he not want that? I thought he liked Jonathan now. Why didn't he want to be the poor baby's dad? "If he wants to be, of course," I added.

"Will you be my new daddy?" asked Jonathan with a pleading face. Fang's shock melted off his face and was replaced by a loving smile I had only seen on his face while looking at Rose or me. That was a good sign.

"Yeah. I will be, Jonny-boy," replied Fang. That was actually a cute nickname. I liked it. But he would always be Jonathan to me, no matter what. But not Jonathan Chu anymore. Now, he was Jonathan Ride. Fang took my last name, and Jonathan was my son after all. Anyway, I preferred Jonathan Ride to Jonathan Martinez or Jonathan Batchelder. Ride was my name, after all. I wanted Jonathan to have something of mine.

Jonathan looked like a kid in a candy store. "Thank you, Daddy!" he cried, reaching out for Fang. I let Fang hug him, but I still held on, which made for a bit of an awkward hug. I still wasn't going to let go of my baby after getting him back after so long. And I had a feeling that if I let go, I would lunge at Mr. Chu. However much I hated him, I didn't want to kill him. As I told Iggy earlier, the flock doesn't kill other people.

"Well, I hate to break this up, but I believe you have something of mine Maximum Ride," Chu interrupted in a calm voice, holding his hands out and gesturing to Jonathan. I should have known we just couldn't leave.

"Never, you demon!" I hissed.

"Very well," replied Chu, sounding almost regretful. He raised his right arm, and a bunch of M-Geeks strolled out. I tried to count them, but there were too many. Great. 5 against roughly a thousand...no, more like fifteen hundred. This could actually be difficult. Oh, crap. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. If there were more of us, it would easier.

_Max, I'm on my way! You need help!_ Angel said in my head. _You can't win without help. I won't do much, but I can do something._

Scratch that, 6 against roughly fifteen hundred. Not much of a difference, but it would help.

The M-Geeks began to advance toward us. I shoved Jonathan over by Akila and took a protective stance in front of them both. Neither of them could protect themselves at all, so I had to protect both of them. I put them in a corner and attacked from there. I had less maneuverability, but the M-Geeks couldn't sneak up behind me and attack my son. I knew the weak points of these machines, and it was almost easy to beat them. The only problem was the numbers. With the amount there was, everyone would be hurt somehow. Hopefully, no injuries would be too serious. If anyone died...I wouldn't be able to stand it.

The first M-Geek advanced on me slowly. I smacked it, karate-style, on the head and the skull split. One down, 1,499 to go. The next one I kicked very hard in the ankles and it collapsed. Then I stamped on its face and it was still. I ripped off the head of the third one. The fourth one was harder. It came from the side and went for Jonathan. I screamed and lunged for it, but Jonathan got there first. He grabbed something from the table on the other side of Akila and pressed it against the M-Geek. He pressed a button and it collapsed. I was very surprised, but I would wait until later to ask him about it.

"MAX!" Iggy yelled. "GET EVERYONE OUT! I HAVE A BOMB TO BLOW THIS PLACE UP!"

"EVERYONE, OUT! MOVE IT!" I screamed. I grabbed Jonathan and held him close, and pulled on Akila's makeshift leash. She followed at a quick trot, but I pulled her into a run. She kept up with ease.

As I ran out, Iggy was throwing something in a window. He had a small remote control to set the bomb with. "IS EVERYONE OUT?" he yelled.

I did a quick head-count. The entire flock was out, along with Jeb, Jonathan, and Akila. There were lots of scientists as well. "YES!" I screamed back.

Iggy pressed the button on the bomb remote. We all waited with bated breath as the timer counted down. When it got to zero, the whole building blew up.

A terrified scream echoed from the floor we were on. I frantically did another head-count. Angel was landing, Gazzy was describing the explosion to Iggy, Iggy's blind eyes were wide as he tried to figure out who was screaming, Fang was panting, leaning on Nudge, Akila was next to me, and I was holding Jonathan. Jeb was counting the scientists.

"They're all here," he informed me. "The only one..." Our eyes locked as we both figured it out at the same time.

"Mr. Chu."

**Me: Tee, hee...I just killed Mr. Chu. Yay.**

**Iggy: Oh, crap...she has that look on her face...RUN! AND REVIEW!**

**Me: WAIT! QUESTION! Do you want me to put non-MR related summaries down here or not? If you haven't read the book, you can just skip the summary.**


	30. Chapter 29

**Me: So this chapter is okay.**

**Iggy: Not too good, not too bad.**

**Me: Until the end. Where you find out about Jeb.**

**Iggy: Yeah! He's -**

**Me: *puts hand over Iggy's mouth* Let them find out themselves.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR. *pouts***

Mr. Chu was dead. No more worrying about him trying to kill us. No more of him trying to steal my children. But we had, however inadvertently, killed him. Iggy's bomb had exploded before I had made sure everyone was out. It was all my fault. I hadn't checked before I gave him the okay. I hadn't thought anyone was inside, but I had only checked my flock, not anyone else. Now Mr. Chu was dead because I hadn't been thorough enough. We were murders.

"What did you do?" Jeb exploded, his words hitting me like knives. My breathing hitched. Fang came over and wrapped a protective arm around my shaking shoulders. A tear slipped down my cheek and Fang wiped it away with a kiss before turning to Jeb with a murderous expression on his face. The phrase "If looks could kill" ran through my mind.

"No, Jeb," Fang growled, shaking with anger. "It's what _you_ did. If not for you, none of this would have happened. You were the one who came here. If you didn't _betray us_, then we wouldn't have come here and Mr. Chu wouldn't be dead."

"Why you insolent little..." Jeb started in a snarl, but Fang cut him off.

"Oh, don't even try." Fang's voice was very condescending, and Jeb's face flushed with anger. "You know it's your fault. We're leaving."

"I wouldn't suggest that," said Jeb, his voice hinting that he knew something we didn't.

"Why?" I demanded.

"Akila," Jeb stated with a smirk. Oh crap. How were we going to carry a 100 pound dog from here to Arizona? I could barely carry her two feet!

"Not a problem," Fang countered with a small grin. "I have super-strength. I discovered it last night." As if to prove this point, Fang picked me up with one arm and crushed me to his chest.

"Perfect!" Nudge squealed. "Fang can carry Akila, and the rest of us can fly. It's so awesome that we can fly. Like, we don't need to have any transportation because we can use our wings! I wish everyone could have wings. There would be so much less pollution from cars because no one would need to use them. The world would be so much cleaner. I mean, it would be awesome! Global warming might even stop..." Iggy stopped her rant with a quick kiss.

Fang leaned over and picked Akila up. I watched with amazement as he lifted her easily. Iggy and Gazzy grabbed all their bombs. I passed out some of the food I had packed. Jonathan stayed close to me, never going more than a foot away.

"Wouldn't you like to stay a bit longer?" asked one of the whitecoats. "There may be information that would be helpful to you in the wreckage."

"What are you doing, Jovani?" Jeb demanded. "You can't let these experiments get to the papers!"

"They're not experiments, Batchelder," the whitecoat, who I guessed was named Jovani, snapped back. "They're human beings, and they need help. I never felt comfortable with this. Now I have a chance to redeem myself, if only a little bit. I'm going to take that opportunity and make the best of it." The whitecoat turned to us. "My name is Theodore Jovani, but you can call me Theo. I was one of the newer scientists. I only participated in one experiment."

I studied his face. He looked like he was telling the truth, but I couldn't be sure. _Ang, hon, what do you think?_

_He's trustworthy,_ she responded immediately. _He has no thoughts in his head other than kind ones and regretful ones._

_You sure?_

_Yes, Max,_ Angel replied testily. _I'm sure._

_Very well, Ang,_ I replied slightly icily.

"We'll go with you," I told Theo. A smile lit up his face. "But that doesn't mean we trust you," I added. Theo's face dropped almost comically.

"Very well, Max. I think all the records would be in this section," he said, leading us over to where I could see a few battered file cabinets. I opened them all and shoved the folders into my nearly-empty backpack. Almost all of them fit. The ones that didn't fit I put in Fang's outstretched hand. He put them in another backpack that Iggy had handed him. This one had held the bomb that had blown up the entire headquarters and killed...no, don't think about that, Max. Keep it off your mind.

"We have all the ones from here. Are there any other files?" I asked.

"Um, I don't think so," Theo replied. "I really don't know a lot about where any other more personal files would be. Jeb might."

"Why?" Fang asked. "He's only been here for a few weeks!"

Theo looked confused. "No, he hasn't. He's been popping in and out of here for as long as I've been here."

"And how long is that?" I asked.

"A little less than a year."

My vision tinted with red. Fang grabbed my arm, but I pulled it out of his grasp. I stomped over to Jeb with my hands in fists.

"How could you," I snarled. "We trusted you! Then you went and betrayed us."

Jeb's face was emotionless. "I always told you not to trust anyone, Max."

"Well you were right," I hissed. I turned to the flock. "Let's move. We're blowing this joint."

All the others extended their wings in unison. I ran a few feet then leaped into the air. The rest of my flock followed me with Fang carrying Akila and me carrying Jonathan. We flew up, but we hadn't gained too much altitude before it happened.

Gazzy gasped in pain. I whirled around in mid-air to see a rosette of blood blooming on his hip. Then Nudge hissed through clenched teeth. A red stain was growing on her shoulder. I looked down at the scientists beneath us.

Jeb was the only one holding a gun.

**Me: Yeah, he's evil.**

**Iggy: And you love to torture me.**

**Me: What? I didn't have anything happen to you!**

**Iggy: Yeah, but you just ****_happen_**** to choose my best friend and my girlfriend to get shot!**

**Me: Oh, yeah, I did.**

**Iggy: Don't play innocent with me, young lady!**

**Me: YOUNG LADY! *hits with belt***


	31. Chapter 30

**Me: This chapter is...**

**Iggy: Let me guess...**

**Me: AWESOME!**

**Iggy: That was not my guess.**

**Me: Idiot.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR. I doubt JP would be man enough to do what I do to Max.**

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed as I flew down at 300 miles an hour. I had passed Jonathan off to Angel so my hands would be free to kill Jeb, and she was landing with him in her arms. Iggy was ready to catch Nudge or Gazzy if they fell. Fang was flying down to put Akila down so he could help bring Nudge to the ground while Iggy would carry Gazzy. Both of them were losing blood fast.

I flew and landed in front Jeb and pummeled his chest with my fists. He stood up to it at first, simply wincing, but then his ribs started to break under my constant punches. I watched with cold satisfaction as he fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. I leaned down to deliver the killing blow when strong arms grabbed me from behind and pinned me. Fang.

"Let me go!" I protested, trying to break my way out of Fang's iron grip. He silently stood up to all my struggles. I managed to turn around and started to punch Fang's chest. He stoically watched and didn't move at all. The power behind my punches diminished as my eyes began to blur with tears. I stopped punching Fang and he looked at me with timeless sorrow in his eyes. I looked at his chest and remembered that he had told me that some of his ribs were broken. "I hurt your ribs, didn't I?" I whispered.

"A bit," Fang replied. "But I don't blame you. You weren't in control then."

"What do you mean?" I whispered. "I tried to _kill_ Jeb. I _wanted_ to kill him! My own father!" I was horrified at myself. "I hurt you!" I added, my voice breaking.

"That wasn't you, Max. You didn't think it through. That wasn't your mind. That was your heart and your instincts," Fang stated. "You tried to kill Jeb because he tried to kill Nudge and Gazzy. You fought me because I was holding you back."

"That doesn't change the outcome!" I yelled. "Your ribs were already broken, and I just made them worse! I..."

Fang cut me off. "You are still a good person. Jeb is not dead, and I'll heal soon. It's not that bad. Just cry however much you want, baby."

I broke down and sobbed onto Fang's chest. "I'm so sorry," I cried. "I didn't mean to do any of this. I didn't want this to happen!"

"I know, I know," Fang whispered into my ear. He stroked my hair gently as my tears stained his black shirt. I cried and cried until I had no more tears.

"Sorry, Fang," I choked out. "Now your shirt's all wet."

Fang looked at me. "Did none of what I just said get through your fat head?" he teased. "_It doesn't matter._"

I smiled through my tears. "I'm incorrigible. Nothing gets through my 'fat head.'"

Fang looked like he would be banging his head against a wall if there was an intact one nearby. "You won't let me forget that, will you?" he asked.

"Nope!" I replied with a grin.

Fang closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. "You don't want to know," he added when I opened my mouth to ask him what he said. I was about to disagree when I heard a scream behind me from Iggy. I turned to see Nudge falling in the air. Iggy's face was a picture of horror. He was holding an unconscious Gazzy in his arms and he couldn't hold both. I extended my wings and flew up into the air to Nudge, praying to every deity I could think of that I would get there in time.

I flew underneath her, but her momentum made both of us fall. I tried to flap to get us back in the air, but Nudge was too heavy. I kept flapping to try and break the fall, but it didn't work. I saw Fang flying towards us with a terrified expression on his face, then my head hit a piece of debris and I blacked out. My last thought was a hope that my body had cushioned Nudge from the full blow of the fall.

* * *

The first thing I was aware of was a numbness. I knew I had to be injured in the fall, but I couldn't feel any pain. Next, I heard voices. "Max! Nudge! Iggy, are they okay?" Fang's voice exclaimed. There was a pause. "Okay, that was a stupid question. Are they going to be okay?"

"I think so. Nudge wasn't hurt much by the fall, but Max was," Iggy replied. "I can't tell what's wrong yet. We need to get Nudge off her."

I felt Nudge getting off me. I knew I wasn't pinned by anything, but I still couldn't move.

Oh, God._ I couldn't move_. At all. I would try, but nothing would happen.

I felt a feather-soft touch. Iggy. I wanted to scream "I can't move!" But I was still somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness.

"I don't see anything wrong here, but I have a feeling something is wrong," Iggy stated. "Flip her over."

I felt gentle yet powerful arms lifting me up and flipping me over. Fang. Iggy's fingers ran down my back.

"I don't know...Angel, can you make her wake up?"

"I'll try," Angel replied. I heard her voice in my mind. _Max. Wake up, please. We're all scared. Jonathan is terrified you won't wake up. He knows his dad is dead, and he's afraid you're going to leave him too. We all are. Please, Max!_

_Ang, I'm aware of what you're saying. I just can't wake up fully._

"Ig, she's aware of what we're saying," Angel repeated out loud with a sigh of relief.

"Then ask her if she feels this." There was a pause. I didn't feel anything.

"She didn't feel anything," Angel replied in a scared voice.

Iggy sucked in a short breath. His hands flitted over my spine again. They stopped at one point and ran over a two-inch section again. I could feel it at first, then it felt like he just took his hand off. I wasn't sure if he actually did or if I just couldn't feel it.

"Oh no," Iggy whispered. "She broke her back."

"What?" whispered Fang. I would be saying the same thing if I could regain consciousness.

"She...she broke her back. Right here," Iggy repeated. I felt something poking me. "No, farther down."

I didn't feel anything at all. _Angel? Help me wake up,_ I demanded.

_I'll...I'll try,_ Angel replied. I felt an urge to wake up. I fought to open my eyes. Angel ramped up the power. With a sudden surge of energy, my eyes shot open.

"Max!" Fang gasped. "Are you in any pain?"

"No, but I know my back's broken," I replied bluntly. "But I think it can be fixed."

"How?" Iggy immediately demanded.

"Remember Ari?" I asked. "I broke his neck down in the tunnels beneath New York. But the whitecoats were able to fuse it back together."

"Maybe they could do the same thing to your back!" Ig exclaimed. We all turned to Theo.

"I think it can be done."

**Me: Yes, Max is paralyzed.**

**Iggy: She is going to be so mad!**

**Me: At you.**

**Iggy: Why me?**

**Me: I'll say it was your idea.**

**Iggy: ...I hate you.**

**Me: Love ya too!**


	32. Chapter 31

**Me: SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!**

**Iggy: She really is.**

**Me: PLEASE FORGIVE ME! *drops to knees* I'M BEGGING YOU!**

**Iggy: *facepalm***

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR.**

Theo turned around and began to yell orders at the whitecoats behind him. I watched, still unable to move. Fang held my hand in his and began to rub small circles in it with his thumb. Jonathan stood on my other side, clutching my arm.

Theo was trying to set up an operation table when we heard a low moan. We all turned to see a broken dog cage. A boy, about Angel's age, was lying in there, practically unconscious. He had light skin and dark brown hair. His eyes were closed. Angel looked at him and I saw something in her eyes. _Ang, what is it?_ I asked in a thought.

_Look at how beautiful he is!_ she exclaimed in my head. _His hair is such a lovely color, and look at the way it catches the light!_ I stifled a sigh.

"Fang, get him out of there!" I snapped. Fang leaned over and tried to open the dog crate, but to no avail. "You're going to have to break it." Fang effortlessly snapped the bars and lifted the young boy out. On his wings were large, leathery wings. Bat's wings. Angel's mouth fell open in a perfect "o" and her eyes widened. I smirked. _Angel, I think you have to learn something. Just because someone's handsome doesn't mean you know who he really is,_ I thought.

_That's perfect!_ she mentally cried out, surprising me. _Now he can fly with us!_

She was really head-over-heels. The young boy's eyes fluttered and Angel grabbed his hand. When he regained consciousness, she was the first thing he saw.

"I'm dead, aren't I?" he asked. "I must be. There's an angel in front of me."

Angel smiled at the irony. "Well, I am Angel, but you're not dead. What's your name?"

"Echo," he replied. "And you're Angel? The name suits you."

Ang blushed. Boy, was he a flatterer. "Echo, how long have you been here?" I asked. He whirled around. Apparently, he hadn't noticed there was anyone else here yet.

"And you are?" he asked.

"Maximum Ride," I replied. "I'm a bird hybrid, as is the rest of my flock. But the little boy here is not a hybrid at all. He's my son. Purely human."

"Oh, okay. Um, I was in a School for a few years and I've only been here for about a year, but I've gone around with Mr. Chu for most of my life. I'm thirteen now." I nodded; that was what I had expected. "And I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you okay?"

"No," I replied. "I broke my back rescuing my sister."

"You broke your back? But then...you must be paralyzed!" Echo exclaimed. "I wish I could help you, but I can't. I'm not a healer."

My curiosity was piqued. "A healer? What's that?"

"Well, do any of your – flock, did you call them? – have any extra abilities, other than the wings?" I nodded. "As do I. A healer is a experiment who has the power to heal wounds. I can't do that. I can suck power from any of the four elements. I'm not exactly an elemental, because I can't influence them. At one point, Mr. Chu called me an energizer."

Fang let out a low whistle. "That's pretty powerful. Can you do anything else?"

"Well, I don't know," Echo admitted. "A few days ago, one of the machines lost power after it touched me. I felt more powerful after it. I think I sucked the power from it, but Mr. Chu didn't put two and two together, apparently. If he had, he would have put me in a different room and probably have given me a different title."

"Title?" Angel asked.

"Yes. I'm an energizer. Iris, for example, was a healer. She was also a lion hybrid."

"Was?" Fang asked, looking up from Gazzy's wound, which he was now examining while Iggy silently looked at Nudge's.

"She died yesterday," Echo said quietly. "Then there's Emerald. She's thirteen, just like Iris was. She's a protector. She can make a small shield around herself and other people if she concentrates. Nothing can go through it. She has some cat's DNA. Not sure what type."

"Wait." I asked. "Is she still alive?"

"Yes. She was here..." Echo drifted off as realization dawned on his face. He instantly turned and began to dig through the debris next to him. Jonathan watched him, biting his lip. For a moment, I wondered if he knew something, but I dispelled the thought. Maybe I would ask him later. Maybe not. But now was not the time regardless.

"Wait," I commanded. "Angel, can you hear her?"

A look of concentration showed on Angel's face. "Yes." Angel walked like one in a daze until she reached a part of the building that hadn't been affected by the explosion. "There are a lot of them in there. Many minds, all crying out in terror..." Her voice choked up and she stopped talking. Echo got up and followed her over. He wrapped his arms around her slim shoulders.

"How many?" he asked.

"Seven. No, six. Six of them."

"That would be Emerald and the others. There's Blaze, a sixteen-year-old elemental who specializes in fire. She's a hybrid of something, but she looks completely normal. She knows what DNA is mixed in with hers, but she won't tell anyone. Then there's her twin brother Shadow, a hider. He can turn invisible. He's just as secretive as his twin and won't tell anyone what DNA is mixed with his. Then there would be Sapphire, Emerald's fifteen-year-old older sister and a racer. She can go over three hundred miles an hour when running. She has wolf DNA. At least I think it's wolf. I'm not sure. She and Shadow are kinda together. And the fifth one would be Dark, an eighteen-year-old necromancer with grizzly DNA. He's the oldest, obviously, and he can control the dead. But I don't know who the sixth one is. The only ones that were there were Emerald, Blaze, Shadow, Sapphire, Iris, Dark, and me, and Iris is dead." He shrugged. "Maybe a new one came in a few days ago and no one knew about it."

"Fang, carry me there," I demanded as Angel and Echo attempted to open the door. He began to lift me up when Theo's voice cut through the air.

"Wait! Max, we're ready!"

I turned my head in Fang's arms. Theo was standing with the other scientists behind him, all the surgical materials ready. Then I turned back and saw Angel and Echo furtively trying to open a door with all his friends and, for all intents and purposes, family behind it. Then my eyes flicked to Iggy, kneeling next to Gazzy and Nudge.

"No," I stated. Theo looked at me like I was insane.

"What?" he asked. "Don't you want your back to be healed?"

"Of course I do!" I snapped. "But don't heal me yet. Help Nudge and Gazzy first. They need more immediate attention. You can fix my back after they're okay."

"But..." Theo began.

"Is that a problem, Mr. Jovani?" I asked icily.

"No," he replied after a long pause. "We'll heal them first. But you ought to know this: if your back isn't fixed within a few hours, it can't be fixed at all."

**Me: Yeah, lots of OCs.**

**Iggy: Six.**

**Me: Yup. GIVE ME YOUR OPINIONS ON THEM!**


	33. Chapter 32

**Me: We actually meet the OCs this chapter.**

**Iggy: Oh, yippie. And what do you mean, drastic?**

**Me: Hmm...let's think...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR. Sadly. *pouts***

"How long?" I asked instantly, masking my shock.

"About five hours now, I think," Theo answered. "Maybe four. At the most, six, but I think that's pushing it."

I looked at Iggy. "How long do you think Gazzy and Nudge have before they've lost too much blood?" I shot at him.

Iggy shrugged and looked at me without any hope in his eyes. "An hour, maybe two," he said in a voice completely devoid of emotion. The dead look on his face made my decision for me. If either of those two flock members died, or worse, both of them did, Iggy would be crushed. He already had such a hard life. He was blind, he was never as able to do things as well as we could except cooking and bomb-building, and even though he tried not to show it, I could tell that the way his parents treated him six years ago still hurt him. If his best friend or especially his love died, I wasn't sure that he could take it. He might end up doing something...well, drastic. I don't think anyone would be able to stand that.

"Treat them first. If I end up being paralyzed, I guess that's okay. It won't kill me. Those bullet wounds could kill them," I said. Theo didn't move. "Do it!" I commanded. Theo turned around and began to yell at the whitecoats. "Now, Fang, take me over to Angel and Echo." Fang turned around and walked over to Angel and Echo, who were still trying in vain to open the door.

"We can't open it!" Echo exclaimed in annoyance. "My friends are back there, and I can't get to them!" He kicked a small rock and watched it soar out of sight.

"I can," Fang declared. "I have super-strength. Max, I'm gonna have to put you down for a moment."

"That's fine," I replied. "Just open the door so we can get to those poor people."

Fang gently lay me on the ground, then turned and, in one swift movement, pulled the door of the hinges. Jonathan had followed us over and was standing next to me. Inside the room were six dog crates with immobile forms inside them.

"Echo, why weren't you in there?" I asked as he ran towards his friends. Fang leaned over me and picked me up again.

"I was going to be experimented on," her replied off-handedly as he opened a crate. "Sapphire?" he asked quietly as he shook the girl's shoulder.

"What...Echo!" the girl exclaimed as she opened her brilliant blue eyes. She crawled out of the dog crate in the blink of an eye. I remembered that she could go at speeds of three hundred miles per hour, so I guessed this wasn't that amazing. Self-consciously, she arranged her hair to try to hide her furry ears when she saw us.

"Yeah, Sapphire," he replied. "This," he added, gesturing at me, "is Maximum Ride. This is Angel, this is..." He trailed off while pointing at Fang.

"I'm Fang, and this is Jonathan," Fang finished, pointing at my cowering son.

"I know him," Sapphire said in a quiet snarl. "He's Mr. Chu's son! What is he doing here?"

"He's my son too!" I replied with anger in my voice.

"You were with Mr. Chu?" she asked incredulously. "How could you bear to be with him?"

"I wasn't!" I stated angrily. "I was raped. But Jonathan is not responsible for the acts of his father, and you will not blame him for them!" My voice held my "leader tone," as Iggy had once called it. Sapphire knew better than to argue.

Echo was already opening the next cage. "Emerald? Wake up!" he whispered. Emerald blinked her eyes, and I saw that they were green and almost feral-looking. A long black tail swished behind her. I was guessing she might have black panther DNA, but I wasn't sure.

"Echo!" Emerald leaped out of the cage with perfect balance. "What happened? I heard a loud boom! What was it?"

"The place was blown up. This room, as you know, is reinforced so nothing happened to it. But Mr. Chu is dead!"

"Dead!" Emerald gasped.

"Of course," said a tall, dark haired boy as he crawled out of the dog crate Sapphire had just opened. "I felt his death." His skin was dark and looked almost furry, although I wouldn't be surprised if it was. He _did_ have grizzly DNA, after all. A moment later, he closed his eyes and his skin lightened to a normal tan. I guess that was part of his power.

"Dark," Echo replied respectfully. "This is Angel, Max, Fang, and Jonathan."

Dark glared at Jonathan, but I guess Angel explained everything to him, because he didn't speak. He nodded at me, and I nodded back.

"Shadow! Turn visible, you idiot!" I turned my head to see Sapphire shaking thin air inside a dog crate. Then a boy appeared in it under Sapphire's hand and I remembered Shadow's power of invisibility. Just as Echo had said, he looked completely human, but very handsome. I could understand why Sapphire liked him.

"I'm up, I'm up," he muttered. He looked at us, but his eyes were unfocused. Then he blinked and stared.

"Who are they?" he asked, glaring. "I recognize _him_," he spat at Jonathan, "but not the rest of them."

"I'm Maximum Ride. This is Fang and this is Angel," I stated.

Shadow nodded, then went to the next cage and unlatched it. In it was a girl with fiery red hair who also looked completely human, but also beautiful. "Blaze, get up!" he whispered. The girl woke up in an instant and darted out of the cage. The instant she saw us, balls of fire appeared in both her palms.

"No!" Dark hissed. "They are like us. They are our allies." Blaze's eyes narrowed, but the fire disappeared.

"Does anyone know who is in the last cage over there?" Echo asked. Dark shook his head.

"The cage came in about an hour ago. I have no idea who's in it." I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Jonathan had wandered toward the unknown cage and was staring at the experiment in it.

Echo followed him over and opened the cage. A girl inside opened her slightly unnerving violet eyes. Her long, golden-blonde hair went down her back, straight as corn silk. Like Emerald, she had a tail, but hers was much different. Emerald had a smooth, black tail. Whoever was in the cage had a sleek tail as well, but it was the same golden color as her hair. Echo gasped. "Is that...is that..." he stuttered.

"Yes," Jonathan replied. "It's Iris."

**Iggy: I WOULD NOT COMMIT SUICIDE!**

**Me: *shrugs* I don't know...you are emotionally unstable...**

**Iggy: I AM NOT!**

**Me: Suuuuuure.**


	34. Chapter 33

**Me: Okay, MRA, you can stop hyperventilating now. I'm updating.**

**Iggy: Sadly.**

**Me: *hits with belt* Don't be like that, Iggy!**

**Iggy: Why not? After what you've done to me...**

**Me: Like?**

**Iggy: I'M A FREAKING MU -**

**Me: Shush. You'll ruin the next chapter.**

**Iggy: I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE NEXT FNICKING CHAPTER!**

**Me: Tut tut...so snippy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR. But I do own Chu's mutants. Hm...sounds like a cool name for them!**

"What?" I asked. I must have misheard my son. And even if he was right, how did he know?

"What?" Dark echoed. Echo unlocked the cage without a word and the girl, Iris according to Jonathan, crawled out.

"It's true. I am Iris." Everyone stared. "Dark," she said, starting to move towards him. He backed away and she stopped, a hurt expression on her face.

"I felt you die!" he whispered. "I've never been wrong before. I felt your life go! You were dead! This isn't possible!" Blaze sidled up next to him, but he ignored her. Her face hardened. I understood instantly. Blaze liked Dark, but he didn't care for her in that way. I was slightly surprised. She was almost inhumanly beautiful. Every part of her was perfect. I wondered what type of DNA she had mixed with hers, but pushed the thought away. There were more important things to worry about.

"You weren't wrong," Iris explained. "I did die. Mr. Chu came in and told you I died in an experiment, am I right?" Dark nodded. "I did, but he brought me back a minute later. I'm guessing he neglected to tell you that part."

"Neglected is one way to put it," I muttered. Iris turned to me. "I'm Maximum Ride, this is Fang, we have bird DNA and wings, and Jonathan is my son," I rattled off in one breath. Jonathan smiled shyly.

"Jonny!" Iris gasped, holding her arms out. Jonathan ran over to Iris and flung himself into her arms. She held him tightly. I watched, slightly confused. "You found your mom?"

"Yeah! She's really nice!" Jonathan replied. "There's more of them too. Fang is my new daddy, and my old daddy died!"

Blaze, Shadow, and Iris all gasped. Oops...I guess we forgot to tell them. "Mr. Chu is dead?" Iris asked, looking at me. I nodded. "This is wonderful news! But where are we going now?"

"You're coming with me. You can all stay with my mom until you find your own place. I'm sure she won't mind. And Iris, I hope you don't mind me asking, but how do you know Jonathan?"

Iris smiled. "After I...died, Mr. Chu wanted to keep me away from the others. He put me in a room and I met Jonathan. We became good friends, didn't we, Jonny?" My son nodded. "Mr. Chu didn't know about our friendship at first. I don't know why he moved me back to this room, but I'm glad he did." She came over to me, her arm still around Jonathan. "Maximum, are you injured?" she asked. I nodded. "Where?"

"My back. It's broken. And please, call me Max."

Iris smiled slightly. "Please lay her face-down on the ground," she said to Fang. His arms clenched me closer.

"Why?"

"I am a healer. I can mend her back."

"Do it, Fang," I demanded. Fang lay me down gently and stood back to watch. Iris knelt next to me.

"Where is the break?" she asked. Fang came and pointed where my back had broken. Iris laid her hands over the spot and hung her head. I watched in amazement as she whispered words in some foreign language. A purple mist slowly appeared around her hands. "I'm speaking in Latin," she explained quietly as the mist swirled around my back. "The mist is different for every healer. It matches the eye color of the specific healer. When my power showed itself, my eyes went from brown to purple. Soon the mist will enter your body, Max. When it does, do not be worried. It will heal your back. It may feel odd at first, but the feeling will soon go away and your back will be fully healed." I stared at Iris. She may just be thirteen, but she acted much older. Her violet eyes were glowing and they showed more knowledge than a girl her age should have.

A moment later, the mist entered my body. It tingled, but I resisted the urge to move. There was one shot of pain, then it disappeared. I could move my legs again. I looked at Iris and the eerie knowledge in her eyes and the sense of age were gone. She still didn't seem like a thirteen year old girl, but it wasn't as creepy as before. She stood, but her legs were shaking. I stood as well. It felt wonderful to be supporting myself again. Fang immediately came over and stood behind me while Echo darted forward to catch Iris as she almost fell. He helped her outside and everyone else followed. Iris sank down and leaned against the wall.

"Iris?" Echo asked quietly.

"I'm fine," she replied. "I'm just a little tired. Healing something that big took a lot of energy."

Echo nodded. He went over to a patch of dirt and put his hands on it. His eyes closed and I thought I saw a burst of green light. He then went over to Iris and grabbed her hands. There was another flash of green light and she smiled.

"Thank you, Echo," she murmured as she pulled herself up. I watched the exchange, confused. Angel had looked a bit jealous at first, but now she looked calm and slightly happy.

"Um...what just happened?" I asked bluntly. Always subtle, that's me.

"Echo absorbed energy from the earth, then gave it to Iris. That's what the flash of light was, Max," Angel explained. I nodded.

"There's nothing going on between those two, is there?" I asked Angel silently inside my head.

"Nothing," she replied. "They're just like siblings."

I nodded. Fang looked confused. "I'll explain later," I whispered to him.

"I'll hold you to that," he replied, giving me a quick kiss. I grinned at him. I liked him so much better than his clone.

I leaned against Fang and his long arms wrapped around mine. Shadow's arm was slung almost lazily around Sapphire's shoulders and one of her arms had slunk around his waist. Angel and Echo were standing next to each other with Echo whispering something in her ear. She giggled. Iris and Emerald were talking quietly and Emerald had an excited look on her face. I guessed they were good friends and Emerald was happy Iris was alive again. Dark was watching the two girls with a shadow of a smile on his face. Blaze stood off to the side, not really part of everything, but still there. It was completely normal. But in an instant, that normality died.

Dark hissed in a deep breath and fell to his knees with a moan of pain. Everyone ran over to him.

"Someone's dying," Sapphire explained. "Dark can feel their death. He never got the chance to really learn to control his powers. He can't do anything with people that are already dead yet. He can speak to them, but he cannot bring them back. However, he's the most in control of his powers with his extra DNA."

Dark gasped and collapsed on the ground. "Someone...just...died," he panted, looking up at me. I looked at Angel and Fang. Someone just died.

We needed to get to Gazzy and Nudge _now._

**Iggy: If you killed my best friend or girlfriend...**

**Me: I didn't and you know it.**

**Iggy: ...Right.**

**Me: *grins* So, it's not Gazzy or Nudge. I already promised I wouldn't kill them.**

**Iggy: Ooh, right! It was -**

**Me: Shush!**


	35. Chapter 34

**Me: Someone's dead.**

**Iggy: And she won't tell me who it is. *pouts***

**Me: You'll find out soon.**

**Iggy: She said I had a surprise in this chapter...I'm scared.**

**Me: *grins***

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR.**

I ran towards the scientists with Fang and Angel racing behind me. They looked quite confused.

"Max?" Theo asked, staring at me. "How are you...how are you walking?"

"Are Gazzy and Nudge okay?" I asked. "Are either of them dead?"

Theo shook his head. "No. But Max..."

I turned around to face Fang and Angel. The rest of the experiments had followed us over as well. "Okay, they're not dead. Who else..."

My face drained of color at the same time as Fang's. "Jeb," we whispered in unison. I ran to where I had left my father. His body lay, broken, on the ground. Jeb was dead.

"No," I whispered, falling to my knees. I had killed my own father. Fang crouched behind me, his arm around my shoulders.

"It wasn't your fault. You didn't mean to kill him," Fang murmured. I looked up at him. Oddly, I wasn't crying.

"Yes, I did," I whispered. "I did mean to kill him. When I attacked him, I wanted him dead!"

"That wasn't you," Fang comforted. It was then that I lost it.

"Yes it was, Fang!" I screamed. "It was me! I wanted my father dead and now he is! I killed him! It was me, not anyone else! And now...and now..." I trailed off, unable to finish my sentence aloud. _And now I'm a murderer_.

"Max?" Angel asked softly. For a moment, she seemed like the little six-year-old girl who wanted to go pick strawberries again. She bent down to look me in the eye. "You're not a murderer. Even if Jeb was killed by your hand, you didn't mean to kill him. I could read your mind as you...attacked. You were filled with rage, just like the rest of us. You were so mad that he would dare attack your family. But when you were fighting him, you weren't rational. You hated him at that moment. But even though you were mad, you didn't really want to kill him."

"Angel, I did! I did!" I exclaimed. "I know what I felt!" The tears were starting now.

Angel shook her head. "You weren't thinking clearly. Or, that is, most of you wasn't. But the part of you that was clear just wanted to punish Jeb, not kill him. The part that wasn't rational was unreadable."

"I still killed him," I sobbed quietly. "I killed my father."

"You didn't," said a tortured voice behind me. "I did."

I turned around to see Iggy. His blind eyes were staring off into the distance.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused, wiping away my tears. "You didn't attack him. I did."

"I did too," Iggy replied quietly. "After you left with Echo and Angel, I went over with Gazzy and Nudge. Theo told me that I wasn't helping by being so close, so I decided..."

"That you would get revenge," I finished.

Iggy nodded. "This is my second kill."

"What do you mean?" Fang asked, speaking for the first time since I yelled at him.

"I killed Mr. Chu. Max, I know you blame yourself, but the bomb was mine. I set it. I detonated it. And Jeb...he wasn't dying after you attacked him. He was after I finished." Iggy broke down, falling to his knees with an expression of hopelessness on his face. "I'm a murderer. No one in the flock has ever killed an all-human person but me. I...I need to leave. I'm sorry, Max. I'm sorry I killed your father." With that, Iggy began to walk away, opening his wings.

"No! Iggy!" I cried, but he paid no attention to me. He spread his wings and took off. A dark blur shot past me, following him. Nudge.

"Nudge?" Fang asked incredulously. I turned around to see the answer. Gazzy and the other mutants were coming towards us. As I watched, Blaze made a fire and Echo plunged his arm into it. His other hand held Iris. Instead of a flash this time, there was a red light that curled its way around Echo to get to Iris. When the light stopped, Echo pulled his unharmed hand out of the flame and Blaze put it out with a flick of her wrist. Iris was now supporting herself and smiling. Jonathan was standing next to her. I felt a pang of jealously, but pushed it away. I was his mother, but she could be his friend. I saw her thank Echo, but I couldn't hear the words. Angel was standing right behind Echo and, as Blaze moved off to the side, she snuggled up next to him. Sapphire and Shadow were still with each other, but Emerald was now chatting with an excited-looking Gazzy. I didn't need Iggy's power to know there was something going on between the two of them. Speaking of Iggy...I was surprised Gazzy wasn't worried about him. They were best friends.

"Gazzy!" I called, running over to him.

"Max!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing? What's wrong?"

"Gazzy, Jeb's dead," I said quietly. "And...and Iggy killed him."

Gazzy went pale. "Iggy?" he repeated, as if he thought he had heard wrong. I nodded. "Where is he now?"

"He flew off. Nudge followed him. We need to find him before he hurts himself." Gazzy nodded and extended his wings.

"I'll be back, Emerald," he promised. She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Which way did he go?"

"That way," I replied, pointing the way Iggy had flown off. Fang extended his wings beside me and I did as well. Angel's wings were already extended. Echo's bat wings were half out too, but I shook my head. "Stay here, Echo." Echo opened his mouth to argue, but I shook my head. "Stay here," I commanded again. Echo nodded reluctantly.

Without even thinking about it, my flock went into formation and we all took off after our missing member. "Angel, can you hear his thoughts?" I asked. She nodded and pointed.

"He's that way. Nudge is still following him. But he's..." Angel broke off and changed mid-sentence. "We need to get there soon."

I looked at Fang. He nodded and grabbed my hand. I felt my super speed spreading through our bodies and we flew towards the mainland of Mexico.

Fang and I soon left Angel and Gazzy in the dust. _Angel,_ I thought. _You and Gazzy wait with the others in case Iggy or Nudge comes back. Fang and I will get Iggy back._

_Okay, Max. Hurry,_ Angel begged. _Iggy's really upset. He might do something he'll regret later._

_We're going as fast as we can_, I replied. I looked at Fang, who had a death grip on my hand, and sped up even more. Fang sped up too.

"Let's try to find Nudge first. Then all three of us can look for Iggy together."

"No need to try and find her," Fang replied. "She's right there."

I landed on a roof and followed Fang's gaze. Nudge was standing on another roof, looking around. "Nudge!" I yelled, taking off. She turned to face me as Fang and I landed behind her.

"Max!" she cried, running over to me. "Iggy...Iggy..."

"Where is he?" I demanded. Nudge pointed a shaking finger. There was a limp body face-down on the ground. It was pale and light-haired.

And wings were extending from the back.

**Iggy: I'M DEAD?**

**Me: Maybe.**

**Iggy: AND I'M A ****_MURDERER_****?**

**Me: Yup.**

**Iggy: ...I hate you.**

**Me: Aw, Iggy, you know you love me. Deep down.**

**Iggy: *glares***

**Me: ...Deeep, deeeeeeeeeeeeep down.**


	36. Chapter 35

**Me: Heh, heh...meant to update a while ago. Yeah, Ig's not here...he got mad at me. See, he told me and FantasyAddict97-10 how he got the name Iggy. She used the story in...um...one of her stories. Can't remember which one. Anyway, Jeb brought him some food and Iggy ate it really fast. Jeb called him "a little piggy." When he met Max later, Ig introduced himself as "a little Iggy." The name stuck. So we've been calling him Piggy Iggy. he god mad at me, and now is boycotting the ANs. So...yeah...I'll just give you the chapter, since I know you don't give a crap what I'm saying.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR, nor do I own Piggy Iggy.**

"No," I whispered in shock, my eyes locked on the immobile body. Not caring if anyone saw me, I flew down to Iggy. Fang and Nudge touched down next to me. Iggy's leg was at an odd angle and arm had a giant bruise on it. Tears were streaming down my face, but I barely noticed. I put my quivering fingers on Iggy's neck to try and find a pulse, but I was shaking too hard. Fang put his perfectly still fingers at his neck and felt for a pulse. I guess keeping all emotions hidden for years did do him some good, as Fang looked completely calm. Iggy's neck didn't appear to be broken, so that was good. If he had survived the fall, that is.

"He's...alive," Fang said after a pause. I could tell that didn't bode well for Iggy. "Nudge, did you see what happened?" Nudge couldn't move at all. She was obviously frozen in shock. "Nudge!"

I slapped Fang's arm. "Fang, her boyfriend is dying. Give her a second!" Fang looked at me with eyes full of desperation and I knew he would do anything - anything - to save Iggy. "Why don't you bring him back to the others and Iris can heal him. I'll follow you with Nudge."

Fang shook his head. "It'll take to long if I fly normally. We need your super-speed."

"Okay. You hold Iggy, I'll be sure to be touching you, and Nudge can fly along with us too." I turned to Nudge and shook her shoulder gently. "Nudge, we need to go back. Iggy will be fine if we go now." Nudge still didn't move, so I scooped her up gently. Fang held Iggy's limp body in his arms, and I made sure I was touching him. My power flooded both our bodies and we flew back to the island. I was worried that the speed would worsen Iggy's condition, but it really couldn't get much worse. Of course, I wasn't about to tell Nudge that. Her head was buried in my shoulder as we flew. The two of them were so close; it would kill Nudge if Iggy died. Speaking of which, how did Iggy fall? A nagging voice insisted that he had thrown himself off of the building, but Iggy wouldn't do that, no matter how guilty he felt. I mean, he wouldn't commit suicide. He wouldn't leave us all like that.

Would he?

No, of course he wouldn't. I was being stupid. Iggy wasn't suicidal. So there must have been something else. Did he trip? Maybe he landed to far over and lost his balance. Both answers would make sense. But then why wouldn't he just fly back up to the roof of the building? All of us were trained to spread our wings and fly at a moment's notice. So why didn't Iggy do that?

An idea came to me and I looked at Iggy's wings. Fang's arms covered them slightly, but one thing was apparent against his light feathers. Blood.

"Fang!" I hissed. "Iggy's wings!" Fang looked down at the blood dripping off the wings and then his eyes met mine. We both knew what this meant. This was no accident.

This was an attack.

"What is it?" Nudge asked in a weak voice. I was torn for a second: do I tell her or do I keep it to myself? Fang answered for me.

"Iggy's wings were cut. Someone attacked him."

Sometimes I really wish he wasn't as free with information.

Nudge gasped. "W-who would do that?"

I shrugged as well as I could while flying and carrying Nudge. "Maybe an associate of Mr. Chu's. Someone we have a grudge against. There are a lot of them."

Nudge nodded after a moment. We flew in silence and touched down on the island together. Nudge stumbled as she ran to the others, who were waiting nearby.

"Iris, we need healing. It's a lot. We probably need Echo to help."

Iris raced over, her eerie purple eyes locked on Iggy. "What are his injuries?"

"His leg is broken, I think his arm has internal bleeding, and he has multiple cuts on his wings," Fang listed off. Nudge went paler with each wound. When she started swaying, I darted behind her and managed to catch her when her knees gave out.

"Nudge, you okay?" I whispered. No one else noticed; they were all staring at Iggy's prone body. Echo was standing behind Iris, ready to transfer energy if she needed it.

"Fine," Nudge whispered back. I helped her forward and she sat as Fang lay Iggy's body on the ground.

"Can you fix his eyes?" I turned to see Rose standing near Iggy. "Uncle Iggy's eyes are broken so he can't seen anything. Can you help him, Iris?"

Iris pursed her lips. "How long has he been blind?"

I was stumped. How long had he been blind? I couldn't remember. Then again, I wasn't near Iggy at that point. We were in different rooms. I didn't think anyone-

"Since he was seven," Fang said quietly, interrupting my thoughts. Well, then. Apparently Fang had been in the same room as Iggy at that point. "Twelve years now. It's too long, isn't it?"

Iris nodded sadly. "I can't heal that now. It's been far to long."

"But you can heal the rest, right?" Nudge whispered.

"I think so," Iris replied, kneeling next to Iggy. She put both of her hands on his chest while Echo put his hands on her shoulders. A white mist enveloped both of them, mixing with the purple mist from Iris's hands. The purple mist disappeared in a few seconds and Iris straightened. "I think it's done."

"Ig-Iggy?" Nudge asked quietly, shaking Iggy's shoulder gently. He didn't move. "Iggy?" Nudge asked again, a bit more loudly.

His cloudy blue eyes still wouldn't open.

**Piggy Iggy: WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?**

**Me: Thought that might get your attention.**

**Piggy Iggy: First, stop calling me Piggy Iggy. And second, WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH ME? MAKE ME LIVE ALREADY!**

**Me: You won't die...I think. Still deciding.**

**Piggy Iggy: But I thought...but I thought my son was in the sequel!**

**Me: Who says Nudge isn't pregnant already? You don't need to be alive for that.**

**Piggy Iggy: ...I hate you.**

**Me: Love ya too, Pig Ig.**

**Piggy Iggy: STOP CALLING ME THAT!**


	37. Chapter 36

**Me: Happy Halloween!**

**Iggy: And happy almost-NaNoWriMo!**

**Me: Yeah, I'm participating in National Novel Writing Month this year. So there probably won't be too many updates during November, if any.**

**Iggy: That's why she's updating this now.**

**Me: Yeah...I felt mean leaving you at a cliff-hanger like that... OH! And a major note!**

**Iggy: She made a mistake in an earlier chapter.**

**Me: When Echo was first introduced, I said he was ten. He's supposed to be thirteen. Sorry for any confusion!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR.**

"Iggy!" Nudge cried out, shaking Iggy's shoulder harshly.

"Ugh…" Iggy moaned softly, then opened his eyes. "I feel like crap."

"IGGY!" Nudge exclaimed, jumping up and hugging her boyfriend around the shoulders.

"Ig! What happened?" I exclaimed. "We found you almost dead on the ground! You fell of a fricking building!"

"What did it look like? Someone slit my wings and pushed me." Iggy said this with a nonchalance that looked real to a causal observer, but I'd had years of trying to detect lies from that pyromaniac, and I knew one when I heard one. That nonchalance was _so _fake.

"Do you know who pushed you?" Nudge asked worriedly. "Did they say anything?"

"No and no," Ig replied. "I felt a knife slit my wings and then I felt hands push me. I don't know who it was exactly, but they felt like a boy's hands."

"Like mine?" Fang asked.

"No, more like Gazzy's. If I had to guess the age from the hands, I'd say around thirteen. Probably around Angel's age." We were all silent. A thirteen-year-old? A thirteen-year-old attempted murder?

"Thirteen?" Angel asked. She had a worried look on her face. "What thirteen-year-old would do that?"

"I think the question isn't what thirteen-year-old would do that," Dark cut in quietly. "I think the question is _why_ a thirteen-year-old would do that. Does he have a grudge against you?"

"Someone who heard about Mr. Chu's death? Or Jeb's?" Iggy asked. "Probably Mr. Chu's, since the explosion was loud. And someone here could have told the kid."

"Or he could be working for Mr. Chu. He could be an experiment. An assassin. We don't know anything about whoever it is. That's the first thing we'll need to figure out," Fang added. "Whoever it is might come after us at any point."

"If we go back to my mom's house, we need to make sure she knows what's going on. We don't want to put her or Ella in danger. Or Rose."

"Who's Rose?" Jonathan asked, tugging on my pant leg for me to pick him up. "And who's Ella?"

I leaned down and picked up my son. "Ella is my sister and Rose is my daughter."

"You have another child?" Iris asked. "I thought Jonathan was an only child."

"Rose is my daughter. Fang is her father." I grinned. "A note about her: she's only a few days old, but she acts and looks like she's two. The entire pregnancy took a few days and she went from looking like a newborn to a two-year-old in a matter of minutes."

Everyone but my Flock gave me an amazed look. "I have a sister!" Jonathan gasped. "Yay!"

We all laughed at Jonathan's antics. Nudge reached down and helped Iggy up and he slowly stood. I scrutinized him carefully for any signs of pain, but saw none. Either Ig had gotten better at faking it or he really was fine. I hoped it was the second.

"Max?" Angel asked, looking up at me. "When are we going home?"

I grinned. "How about now?" Cheers erupted from all sides as we rushed to book plane tickets for the trip home.

* * *

"YOU GUYS ALL READY?" I yelled. Even though the entire Flock plus Echo could fly, we were all going on a plane. We used Mr. Chu's credit card. Hey, might as well get some use out of it before the account closes! The plane we were leaving on was going in an hour, and I had no idea what was taking everyone so long. Half the kids didn't have any of their own belongings, for crying out loud!

Fang was looking for more files about anything to do with the School while Dr. Jovani was finishing finding the results of a test he did on everyone. I grinned. The second Theo offered to do a test to find out the real age of everyone in the Flock, plus the others, we all agreed. When the test was done, we were going to get the results and leave. If everyone else was done getting their stuff.

"Max!" the scientist called over. Well, speak of the devil. "I have the results!"

I went over. "What are they?" Theo handed me a few pieces of paper. I scanned the results. They were all the same as I thought, except… "Nudge isn't eighteen!" I exclaimed. "She's sixteen! Seventeen at the oldest!"

Theo shook his head. "This clearly says she's eighteen. You must have been off on her age."

"Wow," I replied. I skimmed the rest of the list. Everything was just like I thought it was. Fang and I were twenty, Iggy was nineteen, Gazzy was fourteen, and Angel was twelve. Everyone else was right on their ages: eighteen for Dark, sixteen for Blaze and Shadow, fifteen for Sapphire, and thirteen Emerald and Echo. The only one who was wrong was Iris. Instead of thirteen, she was actually fourteen.

"Thanks," I said to Theo as I stuffed the papers in my pocket. Then I went back and grabbed my backpack. "GUYS!" I yelled. "HURRY IT UP!" Soon, everyone was in front of me and we were ready to fly back to Mesa.

"The flight is at an airport about a mile away from the dock we're landing at," Fang stated. "Remember: try to look normal. Sapphire, do you have your hat?" Sapphire held up a woolen cap and put it on her head to hide her wolf ears. "Iris, Emerald, hide your tails." The two girls had tucked their tails into their pant legs. "Echo, pull your wings in. You can wear my sweatshirt to hide them." Fang tossed Echo his black sweatshirt and the boy pulled it over his head. His bat wings were totally hidden. We looked like a normal bunch of kids. Of course, I looked a little young to have a three-year-old son, but whatever.

"Let's go!" I called out, and was nearly stampeded by the recently freed mutants as they ran for the boat.

**Me: So, the next chapter will be about a week after they get back to Mesa. And there will be some changes in the writing!**

**Iggy: Not all the chapters will be Max's POV anymore.**

**Me: Some will be Angel's perspective. I have a second part of the plot ready!**

**Iggy: So this story will keep going on for quite some time.**

**Me: Plus I have a sequel already planned. It's about Rose and Jonathan.**

**Iggy: It's planned to take place fifteen years after this story ends.**

**Me: I can't believe Max and Fang will be thirty-five!**


	38. Chapter 37

**Me: I am so sorry this took so long!**

**Iggy: She had NaNoWriMo and exams in November, then December was busy with Christmas.**

**Me: By the way, Happy Holidays!**

**Iggy: So an update wasn't at the top of the list of things Winter could do.**

**Me: I still am busy, but I found a way to squeeze a Choices in Life update in. I felt bad about not updating in so long.**

**Iggy: Anyway, this is a new format for a chapter!**

**Me: Yeah! Angel's perspective instead of Max's POV. For the next part of this story, Ang is really the main character. There will be a few Max POVs, but there will be a lot of Angel's perspective until this section is over.**

**Iggy: Then it'll probably be time to wrap the story up.**

**Me: *sobs* I can't leave you, Choices in Life!**

**Iggy: There's a sequel, remember?**

**Me: Oh. Heh heh...right. I'm planning a sequel for this. Don't know when it'll end up coming out. But I doubt you care. Most people probably skipped our rambling anyway. So let's bring in the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR.**

The Flock had been home for a week. Dr. Martinez had been excited to meet the other mutants, overjoyed to see Fang, and elated to meet Jonathan. Obviously, she had been hurt to know that Jeb had been a traitor and she mourned his death, but overall, she was happy. Sparks were flying between Gazzy and Emerald, although neither one would admit it. Dark and Ella had hit off immediately and there were sparks between those two as well. Max and Fang were back to normal and Rose and Jonathan were best of friends. Nudge and Iggy had gotten closer and Sapphire and Shadow were definitely couple-y.

Meanwhile, almost thirteen-year-old Angel was close to having her first boyfriend. She had felt something when she first saw Echo. They had become close over the past week and were definitely getting to a pre-relationship phase. Angel knew she should be excited. She knew she should be over the moon. But she couldn't be. Not after what had happened the day before.

_Everyone had been at the park. Rose and Jonathan had been playing with Nudge and Iggy. Dr. M had been supervising them, making sure that Iggy wasn't teaching the kids how to make bombs or something like that. Dark and Ella had been talking. Max and Fang had been talking about what had happened. The two were trying to figure out who had pushed Iggy off the building. Gazzy had been sitting with Emerald as the two talked with Iris. Echo had been thinking, but he occasionally popped into their conversation. Shadow and Sapphire had been taking a walk around the park together. Blaze had been standing under a tree, on the sidelines, but still in their group. And Angel had wanted to go to the music store to buy a new CD._

_Max had grudgingly approved of Angel going off alone. She was nearly thirteen, the older girl had reasoned. Angel could take care of herself. Angel had been given $20 for the CD and had been told to be careful. Max had given her strict instructions to go to the music shop, the come straight back. No stops along the way. Angel had eagerly accepted the terms and had gone to the store._

_There was no issue on the way there. Angel had gone into the store and bought the CD. She had left the shop with a few dollars in her pocket and the CD in a bag on her wrist. On her way back to the park, she had gone past a deserted alleyway. She had known this probably wasn't the safest way to go back, but it was fastest. And anyway, Angel was strong and had mental powers. What could happen? As she had walked past the alley, she had heard a whisper._

"_Pst!" Angel had turned to see a young boy in the alley. After a moment, she had recognized him as Chris, a boy she had talked to in the park before they had gone to Mr. Chu. Although it had only been a week before, it felt like an eternity. _**(AN-Chris was mentioned in chapter 25, but Angel met him in chapter 23)**

"_Hi Chris!" the young girl had exclaimed. The boy had smiled._

"_You remember my name."_

"_Of course I do!" Angel had replied. "I have a great memory for names."_

"_I have a terrible memory for names," Chris had admitted. "I don't remember yours."_

"_I don't think I ever told you mine," Angel had replied with a laugh. "It's Alette." When they had gotten back from Mexico, everyone had gotten new aliases. Max had decided that their original names - Max, Nick, Jeff, Tiffany-Krystal, Zephyr, and Ariel - were known by too many people. Anyway, the entire Flock had wanted to change theirs. They were moving from Mesa, so they could start fresh. The other mutants had all chosen names as well. Angel had done some research and found out that Alette meant wing. She had deemed it appropriate and chosen that as her name._

"_Are you sure your name is Alette?" Chris had asked. Angel had thought she saw a sinister glint in his eye. She had tried to read his mind, but found herself unable to. That was when she had started to get worried. "I thought your name was Angel."_

"_Angel?" Angel had forced a laugh. "What kind of name is _Angel_? My name is Alette. It's-" Chris had grabbed her and shoved her against a wall with ease. Angel had tried to fight back, but had been unable to. "What are you?" she had gasped as she continued her futile struggles. She had tried to grapple with him mentally, but his mind was slippery. Every time she had attempted to get a hold on his mind and change it, it had slipped away._

_Chris had smiled demonically. "I'm your worst nightmare."_

_Summoning a bit of bravery, Angel had laughed disdainfully. "Isn't that cliché?" she had asked. The boy's grip on her wrist had tightened. Angel had bit her lip to hold back a whimper of pain._

"_You don't want to mess with me," the boy had whispered. Was he even really a boy? No normal human was that strong._

"_Why not?" Angel had felt like provoking Chris to see how far he would go. It was an idiotic move. In a single, fluid gesture, the boy had snapped her wrist. With a gasp of pain, Angel had cradled her wounded hand while looking up at Chris with wide eyes. She hadn't even been able to try and stop him._

"_I'll be arriving at your house soon. Act happy to see me," he had whispered in her ear. Then the boy had disappeared._

Angel absentmindedly put her hand on her wrist. Iris had healed it in a second. She told everyone she tripped. They all believed her in the end. Or, that is, almost everyone believed her. She felt disbelief from Blaze, of all people. All the people that knew her accepted it. The six she had added to her family accepted it. But the one girl that was always on the sidelines saw something more. Blaze was more perspective than Angel gave her credit for.

It wasn't the fact that Blaze seemed to see through her lie that bothered Angel. It wasn't the injury that bothered her either. It was the message it sent.

Chris was powerful. And strong. And most definitely deadly. He wanted her.

And there was nothing she could do to stop him.

**Me: PLOT TWIST!**

**Iggy: Because you just can't fnicking ****_end_**** this story already.**

**Me: Nope. Gotta add another plot twist. But the first part of the plot and this part ARE connected.**

**Iggy: Yeah, Chris-**

**Me: *duct tapes Iggy's mouth shut* Tsk tsk. No telling the readers what happens.**


	39. Chapter 38

**Me: Hello, all!**

**Iggy: Winter's ****_finally_**** updating...**

**Me: Hey, I was busy! I had lots of schoolwork.**

**Iggy: And fifty million snow days.**

**Me: *glares* So anyway, I banged out this chapter -**

**Iggy: After not updating for two months.**

**Me: Shut up, Iggy. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't won MR.**

"Mommy?"

I turned around with a faint smile on my face. I had been expecting this. I was putting Jonathan to bed; Rose had fallen asleep about half-an-hour earlier. Both slept in my old room while I shared with Fang. There had been a lot of rearranging of rooms since we had gotten back so the house would fit the seven new mutants.

"What, Jonathan?"

My son bit his lip. "Can you sing me a lullaby?"

I strode over to Jonathan's bed and sat down on the edge. "Of course I can," I told him with a smile. Softly, I began to croon his favorite lullaby. Within a minute he was asleep. I finished the song, kissed his forehead gently, and then crept through the door joining the room my kids were in and the room I stayed in. Fang was already waiting inside, sitting on the bed.

"The kids are asleep?"

"Yup." I yawned. "Jeez, taking care of two little kids is tiring."

"It could be worse," Fang replied as I sat down on the bed next to him. I quickly covered his mouth with my hands.

"Don't say that," I said quickly. "Saying that is practically asking for something bad to happen."

"Sorry," Fang mumbled against my hand. I removed it from his mouth and found his lips against mine in seconds. We kissed until I had to come up for breath. And with our air-sacks, that wasn't for a while.

"We have to get our own house," I managed to pant after both of us took a few gulps of air. Fang and I had had this discussion multiple times since we got home from Mexico. Since Jeb was dead, I had inherited some of his money. Most of it went to Mom, but she was willing to help me and Fang get our own house. Fang was also planning on getting a job, so we would have some extra money. I didn't know what type of job he was planning on getting - what kind of work could a winged freak get? - but the money would be helpful. Jeb had been super rich and Mom's salary wasn't bad, but if the two of us were going to make our own life together, we would need our own way to get money.

"We can soon," Fang promised. "But at the moment, I'm worried about Angel."

That took me completely off-guard. "Angel? Why?"

"Her wrist," Fang replied. Sensing I was going to interrupt, he added, "I know, Iris fixed it in seconds. But I don't think she just tripped."

"You seemed to buy it earlier."

"I did." Fang paused. "But now that I think about it, it just doesn't fit. Our bones are strong. What did she trip on that would make her break her wrist? And the break was so clean. You saw the x-ray. Her story has holes, Max."

"So go talk to her yourself," I suggested. "Ask her what really happened."

"I can't," Fang replied. "She'd never tell me. But she might just tell you."

"If she wouldn't tell you, why would she tell me?"

"Because she trusts you, Max. You're like her mother." Fang gave me his pleading look I could never refuse. "Please, Max? I'm worried about her."

I made a face. "Since when did you get to be the worried type?"

"Max…"

"Okay, I'll go see Angel." In truth, Fang's words were logical and he was making me worried about her. Angel might be thirteen, but she was still my baby. I got up and left the room. Fang stayed inside, probably to keep an ear out on the kids. Jonathan often woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. I went down the stairs quietly, careful not to wake the kids. Angel was in her room reading. Since we'd returned from blowing up Mr. Chu's headquarters, she'd shared her room with Total and Akila. However, they were both still downstairs now. I knocked on the door gently.

"Who is it?" Angel called out.

"It's me," I replied quietly.

"Come in."

I entered the room to see Angel sitting on her bed with her book. She put it down as soon as I walked in. "Hi, Max. How are Rose and Jonathan?"

"Asleep, I think. At least, I put them to bed."

"Oh." Angel made to reach for her book again, but I sat down on her bed next to her and she drew her hand back. "What do you want, Max?"

"What happened earlier?" I asked. I noted quickly that Angel's breathing sped up for a moment. I wished Iggy was with me; with his new power for reading emotions, he would be a big help.

"Nothing. I tripped, Max."

"What did you trip on? We normally have great balance. What was it that made you trip?"

"A…soda can," Angel replied quickly. Too quickly. She seemed to notice her mistake and continued more slowly. "It was on the ground near the music shop I went to. I…tripped over it and fell forward. I tried to break my fall with my hand and my wrist snapped. Why do you ask?"

"Are you sure that's what happened?" I asked. Angel looked at me quizzically.

"Of course I am. How could I not be sure what happened to me?"

I stood. "Okay. See you tomorrow, Ang." I left the room, more confused than ever. Angel's story seemed sound…except it wasn't. A soda can wouldn't cause one of us to trip. Her wrist wouldn't snap if she tried to break her fall with her hand. And chances are she would try to break her fall with her _right_ hand, since she was right handed. But her _left_ wrist was the one that was broken. And the break was too clean for it to be just because she tripped.

Fang was right. There was definitely more to this than Angel was telling. And I was determined to find out what it was.

**Me: Max is on the warpath!**

**Iggy: Yes she is. Now I have a question. How did I not notice that Angel was lying?**

**Me: Well, that sort of is a plothole, but...You weren't in the room when she told her story. You were cooking in the kitchen. It came to you through Nudge, who believed what she was saying and therefore you didn't know it was a lie. But your power does come in and you are able to unravel some of the mysteries!**

**Iggy: Isn't that from House of Anubis?**

**Me: ...Maybe.**


	40. Chapter 39

**Me: Soooooo sorry about the lack of updating!**

**Iggy: She's been whining about how you'll all hate her.**

**Me: I've actually had this chapter done for a while, but Middle-of-Nowhere, Italy has no internet.**

**Iggy: This is another Angel chapter, so get ready for drama.**

**Me: *smacks Iggy***

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR.**

Angel looked at herself in the mirror. She had gotten a call from Chris about an hour ago telling her he was coming over to pick her up for a date. She had taken a shower and gotten dressed in one of her new outfits, a light blue sundress with silver sandals. She had silver bangles on her wrist and her hair up in an elegant twist. Ella had helped with the hair and outfit. In exchange, Angel had to see if Dark was open to having her as a girlfriend. Dark seemed to like her, so Angel hoped to be playing matchmaker. But now she had a match for herself: Chris, some sort of evil experiment. She wasn't sure what exactly he was, but whatever it was, it wasn't good.

Angel turned around to grab her makeup off her bed to see Echo standing in her doorway. Her heart fluttered slightly to see him leaning against the doorframe, bangs hanging in his eyes. "What is it, Echo?" she asked, hiding her creeping blush by bending over to grab her makeup, then turning away to put it on.

"You're going out on a date." The boy's voice was flat, emotionless. He had obviously been taking lessons from Fang. Angel rolled her eyes, pretty sure Echo could see it in the mirror.

"No duh. What about it?" Angel gently slipped past Echo's weak mental defenses as she talked, trying to figure out what was on his mind. His mind was turbulent, full of emotions. It was hard to pick any one out, or pick out a coherent thought. She could delve deeper and get to his thoughts, but she didn't really want to. It was an invasion of his privacy, and she hated to do that. She had grown a lot from the little six year old who dived into people's minds without a second thought. Instead, she focused on the most prevalent emotions. There was a protective impulse, a bit of anger, and jealousy. Lots of jealousy. Angel felt terrible. She hated making Echo feel like that, but if she didn't go out with Chris, God only knows what he would do to her family.

"With whom?" Echo asked, his voice carefully casual. Angel could see him leaning against the side of the door in the mirror and her heart fluttered again. She quickly began to apply her makeup.

"Chris. I met him before we found you. He's really nice." Angel silently thanked God Iggy wasn't there; with his new power, her lies would have been blatantly obvious.

"Oh." Echo looked disheartened, but quickly masked it. "Well, as long as he's 'really nice,' I guess it's fine," he added sarcastically. A blush flamed on Angel's face. She couldn't hide that one, and she could see that Echo noticed. Ignoring it, Angel continued to put on her makeup, starting with blush to hide the true one across her pale cheeks. Echo turned to leave, then turned back with one last remark.

"You don't need blush; your face has been red the whole time we were talking."

As Echo left, Angel turned, shut the door, and began to cry.

She didn't let herself cry for very long. Knowing she had to be ready for Chris when he arrived, she stood, dried her tears, then went back over to the mirror to put on her makeup. She applied it a bit heavier than usual around her eyes, trying to hide the signs of tears. When she was pretty sure she looked alright, she turned out the door, walked down the hallway, and descended the stairs.

Max was sitting in the living room with Fang and the kids, but she left the room quickly when she saw Angel walk past the doorway. "Ang?" she called after the young bird-kid. Angel turned, quickly making a mask of contentment on her face.

"What, Max?"

"So, when is Chris coming over?" The woman who had been, for all intents and purposes, Angel's mother when she had been younger was acting casual, but Angel could feel that she was more worried than she was letting on.

"Any time now," Angel replied, trying to edge past Max to get to the door. Max didn't let her.

"So what about Echo? I thought, with the way that you were thinking about him when we first met, the two of you would be a couple by now."

"I don't know," Angel lied, hating it. "I liked him at first, but I met Chris first and I like him better as a boyfriend."

"Angel, you know that if you ever were being forced to do something against your will, you could tell us, right? You don't need to worry about us. We can all take care of ourselves. There's thirteen of us now. You can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

Angel wanted to blurt out what happened, tell Max all about Chris and his threats. But she didn't. Chris was powerful enough to break her wrist without any exertion. If she told Max, he might go for Rose and Jonathan. If he could hold a bird-kid captive easily, she shuddered to think what he would do to the children. "I know, Max. But there's nothing to tell. I like Chris and he asked me out. What else is there?"

Max studied Angel carefully. "You're sure?"

"Positive." The doorbell rang at that moment, and Angel felt a sinking dread. However, she masked it with a smile. "That must be Chris!" With forced excitement, she bounded over to the door. Max followed her, to Angel's dread. The young girl opened the door to see Chris standing outside, a bouquet of yellow roses in his hand.

"Hi, Alette," he said shyly, remembering her fake name. Angel could see that his act was nothing more than that: an act, but it was good and might fool Max. "I brought these for you. Yellow roses for friendship."

Angel forced herself to squeal happily. "Oh, thank you, Chris! I'll be back in a second." Relishing the opportunity to get away from Chris, she went into the kitchen and spent an abnormally long time searching for a proper vase. Then she cut the stem of each flower separately before putting them in the vase. Hating what she had to do, Angel went back into the entryway with a smile on her face, holding the vase of flowers. "They're so pretty!" From his jacket, Chris pulled out another flower, this one on a shorter stem, and tucked it in Angel's hair. It was a daisy that was dyed light blue, so it matched Angel's eyes.

"Not as pretty as you," he replied with a slight blush. Angel forced a smile on her face. "You look beautiful." Chris put out his hand and Angel took it, shoving the vase of flowers into Max's startled hands.

"Don't stay out too late, you two," Max called as the two left the house.

"We won't, Mrs. Ride," Chris called back. "I'll take very good care of Angel." Then Chris closed the door and Angel resigned herself to her forced date.

Unbeknownst to either of them, inside the house, Max called quietly, "Iggy?" The tall, blind bird-kid left the living room, where he had been waiting just out of sight.

"Angel's lying. She's scared and doesn't want to go with Chris. He's forcing her."

"And Chris?"

"I can't read him," Iggy replied. "I don't know why, but I'm assuming it's a bad thing."

Max nodded. She was going to save her youngest flock member from whatever was scaring her. She just needed Angel to trust her enough to let her.

**Me: Double update today cause I feel so bad.**

**Iggy: Be happy, my minions!**

**Me: ...You've been spending way to much time around me.**

**Review!**


	41. Chapter 40

**Me: Second update now! It's back to Max's POV.**

**Iggy: You don't write a word in forever, then you write two chapters.**

**Me: Middle-of-Nowhere, Italy is inspirational.**

**Iggy: *rolls eyes***

**Disclaimer: Didn't own MR five minutes ago. Don't own it now.**

"Oh God, what if he hurts her? What if she doesn't come home? I should go look for her."

"Max, calm down," Fang stated soothingly yet again, breaking into my rant for the fifth time in the past hour. My mother had taken the kids to the park, so I had been free to worry.

"But Fang, we're pretty sure he's evil, and Angel's alone with him!"

"Angel can take care of herself, Max," Fang replied, standing and walking to my side. "It'll be fine." I welcomed his warm embrace and was silent, but only for a moment.

"Fang, she's still my baby," I whispered. Fang rubbed my back.

"She's thirteen now, and she can control people's minds. She'll be fine."

"But Iggy couldn't sense Chris's emotions! Maybe Angel can't read his mind either! Oh God, Fang, what if he kills her?"

"Calm down, sweetheart," Fang whispered, rubbing my back soothingly. "Angel will be fine. You'll see."

"But Fang, what if she's not?" I moaned, knowing my voice sounded pitiful. Fang didn't have an answer to that, but he continued to rub my back gently. A few tears threatened to fall, but I didn't allow them. Anyone could walk in, and I didn't want them to see me crying.

Fang and I both jumped when we heard a cough from the doorway. We turned to see Blaze leaning in the doorway, a mildly amused look on her face.

"Stressing about Angel?" she asked, tucking a strand of her slightly curly red hair behind her ear. Both of us looked at her in amazement.

"We all know, Max," said another voice from behind Blaze, and Iris came out, her hair pinned up as she had become accustomed to wearing it.

"It's kinda obvious," Emerald added, Gazzy next to her. Soon, the entire Flock minus Angel, plus the seven new mutants and Ella, were in the doorway.

"You all know?" I asked in shock.

"I could tell she was lying about her broken wrist," Blaze answered. "I've always been good at detecting lies. So I talked to Iris about it."

"I had noticed that the break was surprisingly clean for a fall," Iris added. "But I hadn't thought anything of it until Blaze talked to me."

"They told Sapphire and I," Emerald continued, picking up the thread of the story. "Sapphire has abnormally good hearing with her coyote ears."

"So when Chris called her earlier, I listened to the conversation from the other room," Sapphire admitted. "He threatened her."

"They came to me, so I offered to help with Angel's outfit," Ella added. "I tried to talk with her about Chris, but when she didn't talk, I spoke to Dark about it."

"I talked with the girls and we told Shadow and Echo," Dark continued. "Echo went in to talk with Angel."

"I didn't get her to say much, but she was upset the whole time she was talking to me and kept blushing," Echo informed us.

"When he left, I entered her room invisibly," Shadow admitted. "She cried for a little while, then put her makeup on and left the room."

"Which is when I talked to her and had Iggy read her emotions," I finished, finally understanding the story. Shadow nodded. "Okay, that explains you guys, but how did Nudge and Gazzy find out?"

Nudge shrugged. "You told Iggy, Iggy told me, and I told Gazzy."

"I found out the others knew when I saw Shadow following Angel, so I had Gazzy go talk to them," Iggy added.

"We've been discussing it the whole time you've been down here." Gazzy ended the long story of how the others knew. I turned to Fang."So our secrecy was completely useless." Fang smiled slightly.

"Pretty much. Now, no one tell Dr. M., Rose, or Jonathan," Fang commanded. Everyone nodded.

"So, you've been talking for a long time. Any ideas on what to do?" I asked, hoping desperately the others would have some plan.

"Well, it's not much of an idea…" Sapphire started. "And we don't know how well it'll work. But we were thinking that maybe Shadow could follow them on a date. You know, see what happens."

"I think I should go with him, but the others don't agree," Emerald added. Dark sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Emerald, we've told you a thousand times. You're only thirteen. We're not letting you go."

"Shadow can turn me invisible and I can protect us if Chris finds us!" Emerald protested. "Nothing can get through my shield. You've said so yourself."

"Emerald…" Dark's voice was pleading. The panther hybrid pouted.

"Fine," she huffed, admitting defeat. Iris squeezed her friend's hand tightly, giving her a sympathetic look.

"If we want to do that, we need to tell Angel we know. She's not telling us, and there has to be some sort of reason," Nudge stated rationally. "You can be completely invisible, Shadow, but she can still read your mind. I've told you that already."

"It's the best plan we have so far!" Sapphire retorted, and I got the feeling the plan was hers.

"Hey, guys, break it up," I commanded. The others all looked at me. "Sapphire, that plan might work, but as Nudge said, only if Angel knows we know. If she finds out, that'll be great."

"Shouldn't Angel know we know?" Gazzy asked. "I mean, we're doing this to help her. Shouldn't she know we're on her side?"

"She's worried about us for some reason." We all turned to Iggy as he talked, seeing as he was the one that knew the most about Angel's feelings in the matter. "She wanted to tell Max something before, but she didn't. Sapphire, you said Chris threatened her, right?"

"Yeah, he said she knows what'll happen if she doesn't do what he tells her to," Sapphire replied. I shuddered at the thought of Angel in the hands of someone like that.

"I don't think he's just threatening her. I think he's threatening all of us. Probably your kids included, Max." My eyes narrowed and I resolved to never let Chris anywhere near my precious children. "Angel's only doing what he wants because she wants to protect the rest of us. But I doubt Chris could take all twelve of us at once, thirteen if Angel joins in. Angel's being irrational."

"So now all we need to do is make her rational again," I finished.

"And fast," Iggy added. "I couldn't sense anything from Chris, but I bet he's working for a bigger group. There must be some sort of plan. If we wait too long…" He didn't finish his sentence, but we all knew how it ended. If we waited to long, it might be too late.

**Me: I didn't plan for this to happen at all.**

**Iggy: The best laid plans of mice and men...**

**Me: Go kaput when you let me near them!**

**Iggy: *facepalm***

**Review!**


	42. Discontinued

**This story is discontinued. I feel bad, like I'm letting you guys (and myself) down, but I can't keep writing this when I have no inspiration. This was the plan, if anyone cares:**

**Chris was an employee of Mr. Chu and Jeb. Even after he finds out his original employers are dead, he still keeps doing his job because there's another company that is also hiring him, sort of a back-up, if you will. He first meets Angel in the park with the rest of the flock. He then meets her in a deserted alleyway and breaks her wrist, a show of his strength. He promises that he'll find her again soon. Iris heals the break, but Angel does not tell her how she got the injury. She goes out with Chris a few times, but only because she wants to keep everyone else safe. No one knows why she's going out with Chris, but she practically breaks Echo's heart because he loves Angel too and she loves him, but she wants to protect him along with everyone else. Chris turns out to be an experiment, although not a hybrid like the flock. It was not part of his job to go out with Angel or flirt with her, only to kidnap her, but he really does like her in his own weird and twisted way. Angel originally liked him and, had she not met Echo, she probably would have gone out with him without any threats. However, after she met Echo, she didn't want a boyfriend as she and Echo were in the awkward pre-relationship status. If Chris hadn't threatened her and her family, she probably would have remained his friend until he kidnapped her rather than hating him from the start. Chris is almost like Omega, although with a soul. He was created to be able to beat any one of the flock and therefore is much stronger than Angel alone. He knows how to hide his thoughts from Angel, so she cannot read his mind or mind-control him. He kidnaps Angel on their fourth "date," which Chris says is a "surprise," and brings her to a branch of the new version of Itex in Russia, his home country. He later reveals that his real name is not Chris, but Vladimir, a Russian name that means "ruler of the world." It's a rather apt name, considering he works for a company that plans to take over the world. When the Flock goes after Chris/Vladimir and Angel, they go into the branch of Itex and meet three experiments: the sixteen-year-old Inoda, a shark hybrid elemental who specializes in water, his fourteen-year-old brother Draka, a snake hybrid fighter, and two-year-old Perena, a butterfly hybrid with no defined power yet, who is not their biological sister, but both boys think of her as a sister. Inoda falls for Blaze, Draka falls for Iris, and Perena is taken in by Dark and Ella, although the two are not yet married. She is never officially adopted, but both think of the little girl as their child.**

**Sorry for discontinuing!**


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